You Have Got to be Kidding Me!
by aybdubs
Summary: Jamie wakes up on an airplane flying into Washington with no memory of how she got there. As she scrambles to discover what is happening to her, she soon finds out that things are not what they seem. Looking for a Beta!
1. Chapter One

**Looking for a Beta!**

**So I thought I was done with this story, but I decided to come back to it! I have decided that I want to re-write some parts of the story that I've already written. I think this is maybe the second or third time I've tried to do this, but I want to move on with the story so this time so I want to do it right. I'm looking for a beta! I'm not too picky about what kind of experience you might have. I'd rather pick someone who is interested in this kind of story, which actually can be a bit hard to find, so I thought I'd start by asking you readers. **

**I'm looking for someone to check for basic housekeeping mistakes like grammar and punctuation and the like, as well as be someone I can bounce ideas off of who can also watch for character discrepancies and plot holes. Hopefully this makeshift casting call will help me find the right person, but if not I'll try to find a beta through the lists. PM me if you're interested; I can't wait to get started! If you're not interested I just ask that you please have patience with me and this story. I'm reposting all my chapters with **_**major**_** rewrites so let me know what you think :)**

—**aybdubs**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

"Sorry. Excuse me."

I was sound asleep when a bump and a voice jolted me awake. My eyes snapped open when I realized I was curled up in a small reclined chair that was definitely not the bed I had fallen asleep in the night before.

_Where am I?_ Still half asleep, I stretched out and watched the man who had bumped into me made his way down the aisle and into his own seat a few rows down.

I took in the dozens of closely positioned seats and the loud hum of an engine and realized with a start that I was on an airplane.

A voice came in over the speakers, "We are beginning our decent into Port Angeles. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays into the locked and upright position. We we'll be landing in about fifteen minutes."

_Um, what? Port Angeles? How had I ended up in an airplane flying into Washington? _Ignoring the pilot, I stood up and turned around so that I could see the rest of the people on the flight. My heart sank as I looked from face to face without seeing anyone I recognized.

As I sat back down, the woman in the seat next to me eyed me warily before flipping the page in the magazine she held open on her lap. I leaned over to peer past her and out the window. All I could see were huge masses of trees through a thick layer of clouds and fog.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in my room at home. In Santa Barbara. _California_. I definitely didn't remember getting on a plane.

_What the hell is going on?_ I opened my eyes and turned to the woman next to me, "Excuse me?"

She looked up from her magazine and raised her eyebrows at me, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but did you by any chance see me getting on the plane?" I tried to keep my voice even, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt.

"I think so," she said hesitantly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said hastily, "Did you happen to see if I was with anyone?"

She thought for a few seconds. "I don't think so," she answered apologetically. "Sorry."

I frowned, trying to retrace the last thing I remembered doing. "Thanks, sorry to bother you," I said absently.

I started going through my pockets, trying to find something, anything, to clue me in to what was going on, when I realized that the dark green t-shirt, jacket, and jeans I was wearing were definitely not mine.

Ignoring it for the time being, I turned out my pockets. My cell phone was missing, but I found a five dollar bill and a receipt for a coffee shop in the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in my back pocket. _That's weird_.

I looked around the floor and saw a black backpack and a bright red purse. Both were right between my seat and the seat of the woman sitting next to me. She leaned over, moved the backpack up against her seat, and started digging through the purse. Not mine then_._

I felt a soft tap on my arm. Turning around, I saw an older woman with short, fluffy white hair in the seat across the aisle from mine.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, ummm…" She trailed off and looked at me expectantly.

"Jamie. I'm Jamie," I finished, once I realized what she asking.

"Jamie," she said with a smile. "I couldn't help but overhearing and I think I might be of some help."

"Really?"

"I'm fairly certain I saw you saying goodbye to your parents back at security. I couldn't help but notice as I went through," she said with a gentle smile, "Your mother was tearing up and the two of you were promising to write to each other. It was very sweet."

"My parents? Both of them?" My chest constricted painfully. _Not possible_.

"Yes, dear," she said, concern growing on her face.

"You're the spitting image of your mother," she continued." You have the same lovely hair."

I absently tugged on the ends of the dark brown strands. My mom always dyed her hair; it looked nothing like mine. "You're sure?"

"Very," She was leaning into the aisle now, talking to me in a gentle, but serious tone. "Are you okay, honey?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly.

"Are you sure? You seem out of sorts…"

"I just…no, I'm fine," I said, shaking my head. "I appreciate it through. Thanks for your help."

She nodded and settled back in her seat. But even after I turned away I could see her glancing at me out of the corner of my eye.

I closed my eyes and took some deep breathes. This made no sense. How could I end up on a plane flying to another state and not know how I got there?

I groaned as I thought about the phone call I was going to have to make as soon as the plane landed.

I took off my seatbelt the moment the plane touched pavement and fidgeted impatiently. As soon as we stopped and were given the okay to disembark, I jumped up from my seat ready to push my way through the other passengers.

"Excuse me. You're forgetting your bag."

I turned and saw the woman I was sharing a row with holding the black backpack out to me.

"My bag?" I took it and opened the front pocket. The contents were completely unfamiliar. I saw a small paperback book, a couple of pens, and a wallet that was definitely not mine.

Disappointed, I bent down to put it back. "I'm sorry, but this isn't mine."

"Are you sure?" she asked me quizzically, "I could have sworn I saw you carry it on."

People began to file down the aisle as I sat down and took out the wallet, looking for a driver's license or an ID of some kind. I found a driver's license but automatically dismissed it. The design was wrong. Definitely not a California license.

Looking it over, I saw it was an Arizona license. I glanced over at the picture and almost dropped it. _It was me. _ But it wasn't me, not really. I didn't recognize the picture or remember taking it. It couldn't be me.

I took it out of its slot and turned it over in my hand, trying to find a fault with it. I pulled my feet up as my seatmate walked past me into the aisle. I slid over into her seat and held the ID up to the light from the window.

I absently glanced over the name. Then looked again. It was made out for Isabella M Swan. 458 Alta Vista Rd, Phoenix, AZ.

I suddenly hit me: I was flying into _Port Angeles_, Washington.

_Are you kidding me!_

By now almost everyone but the flight crew was off the plane.

"Is this a joke?" I said softly, looking around. I was talking to no one in particular, and no one answered me.

I looked around and saw the flight attendant smiling as she helped the last passengers get off the plane.I swung the backpack over my shoulder and made my way over to her.

"What is this?" I said, waving the ID in front of her.

"I'm sorry?" she said, eyes widening as she leaned away.

"What do you mean? _What's going on_?"

"I—I don't understand," she stammered. "Is there a problem?"

I repressed the urge to smack the forced half-smile off her face just as a man came out of the cockpit and walked over to us.

"Is there a problem?" he repeated.

"Are you kidding me? What's going on!?"

Both of them exchanged a quick confused glance before the man spoke again.

"What is the problem, miss?"

"The problem is that someonethinks is funny to stick me on a plane to Washington_, _with a Bella Swan ID with my picture on it, and no explanations! Like this is _Twilight _or something!"

"I'm sorry miss, I don't understand."

I eyed both skeptically, "You're kidding."

Both of them looked completely bewildered. _Nope. Not kidding._

I tossed the ID back into the backpack and pulled it over my shoulder, shoving my way past them. The plane hadn't attached to a terminal, but instead sat in the middle of a tarmac and a large set of stairs had been moved up to the main door.

It was raining as I made my way down off the plane. I looked past the other passengers greeting family and friends and spotted a pay phone over by a couple of cabs and a police car. I ducked my head and walked over, setting the backpack down on the ground and picking up the receiver.

I held it in my hand for a few seconds. Taking a deep breath, I pressed 0 and held it up to my ear.

"Hello, this is Anne, how may I direct you?"

"Hi," I said, "I'd like to place a collect call to California please."

"Bella!"

I looked over my shoulder and saw a middle aged man with dark hair in a police uniform walking in my direction. My mouth dropped open. _No way…_

"Ma'am?" The woman on the phone huffed shortly. "Name and phone number of the person you would like to contact?"

"Sorry! Cora Robinson in Santa Barbara. It's the only one listed" I cringed; my mother was going to be furious.

"One moment, please."

"Bella!"

The voice called right behind me. I turned around just in time for a tall man to pull me into a quick one-armed hug.

"It's good to see you Bells," he said, stepping back. "You haven't changed much. How's Renée?"

I stared up at him, eyes wide. It was the cop. He had short, curly brown hair and a mustache to match.

"I'm sorry…_what!?_"

"Ma'am?" I heard a faint voice from the phone. " Ma'am!"

"Yes?" I answered, still staring.

"I said there's no one listed in that name," she said impatiently. "Would you like to try a different number?"

"Wait, what?" I said. "What do you mean there's no one listed?"

"Bella is everything okay?" the guy said. "Who are you calling?"

I shook my head at him. "Listen, I'm sure you have a really great performance all ready to go, but I'm not interested. I'm just trying to get home."

I looked over his uniform and noticed 'Chief Swan' was stitched onto a patch on it.

"Kudos for attention to detail though," I said, nodding my head at it.

"What?" he asked perplexedly.

"This is just… just give me a second," I said, bringing the phone up to my ear again. "I know she's listed. Will you check again please? Hello?"

She had hung up. I didn't blame her. I frowned as I put the phone back.

"What's wrong, Bella? Is everything okay?" 'Charlie' stepped forward and picked up the backpack.

"Look, I'm fine. I just really don't want to deal with this. I'm as big a fan as the next person, but this is getting ridiculous."

"I don't understand, Bella," he said hesitantly, still holding the bag. "Are you ready to get going?"

"You're supposed to pick me up?" I asked, startled. "And take me where?"

"Home, of course," he said, his eyes widening in surprise. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"No offense, but I don't really know you," I said, taking a step away from him. "Why would I go with you?"

His mouth dipped into a badly concealed frown. "I don't understand," he said. "You asked to come here."

"No! No, I didn't." I said firmly. "I don't know what I'm doing here!"

"You don't?" 'Charlie' said seriously, eyebrows raised. "Maybe you should call your mother…"

"That's what I'm trying to do," I said exasperatedly. "The number won't go through."

"Why don't we go back to the house," the man said. "I think I have her new number somewhere and you can call her on the home phone."

I stood my ground. "No way. I'm going home—wait, what new number? You have my mom's number?"

He nodded.

"Let's go get your bags," he said when I didn't move after a few seconds.

He walked over to the large mound of luggage that was pilling up near the plane.

I stood unmoving by the phone as he flipped through tags until he had pulled out a matching set of black bags and carried them back over. He opened the trunk of the police car and put them in.

I walked over as he opened the passenger door and put the backpack on the seat. "Ready?" he asked, holding the door.

"You have a police car?" I said, inspecting it through the door. It looked as legit as any I'd ever seen; barred backseat windows and full radio unit included.

"Of course, it comes with the job," he said with a small smile. His smile faded when I didn't smile back. "I'm sorry. I really thought this was what you wanted. We'll go straight to the house and you can call your mom and see about getting a flight back."

"Thank you." He looked so heartbroken it took a conscious effort not to feel guilty.

I got in and I clicked in the seat belt as 'Charlie' walked around and slid in behind the wheel. I was peeling off my jacket when I noticed 'Charlie' staring at my hand.

"What happened to you?"

I clenched my hand into a fist, hiding the scar that went from the side of my wrist to top of my palm.

"It's nothing. Can we get going?" I said, pulling the jacket back on and tucking my hand into the pocket.

He looked like he wanted to say something else but I purposefully turned to face the window.

"Sure." He started the car and pulled away.

I kept quiet for the rest of the drive. I guess I may have scared 'Charlie' off, because he kept quiet also. Even though he didn't say anything, I could see him out of the corner of my eye giving me worried sidelong glances. I stared resolutely out of the window and tried to ignore him. I spent the drive watching rain splatter against the glass and trees fly by the window. The longer we drove the more uneasy I felt.

After about hour, we drove past a sign that said: _Welcome to Forks!_

I sat up straighter. "Are we really in Forks?" I asked curiously.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I know it's been a few years, but don't you recognize it?"

I shook my head. We sped past house after house, none of them particularly big or imposing. It was all very woodsy obviously. Lots and lots of trees. Some of the buildings sort of reminded me of the cabins from a summer camp I used to go to when I was a kid.

We drove down an almost empty highway, and eventually pulled up to a small white house with an old red truck sitting at the curb.

I shook my head, staring at my hands. _This is way past getting ridiculous._

"That truck was for you Bells," Charlie said sheepishly. He gestured to it as he got out of the car, "If you want it, I mean. I got it off Billy Black from down in La Push. He's in a wheelchair now—"

"Please don't."

'Charlie' looked hurt, and I had a hard time not letting it get to me. This guy was good.

We made our way into the house, and 'Charlie' set my suitcases by the stairs.

We stood awkwardly for a few seconds. He ran a hand through his hair and gestured to a doorway to my left. "Let me get you that number."

"Sounds good."

I followed him into what turned out to be the kitchen. The accuracy to the books was uncanny; things were just what I pictured they would be. The walls were pale yellow and there was a little table next to the end of the counter that stretched around two sides of the room. If I wasn't so unnerved, I might've been able to appreciate how cool it was.

I sat down at the table while 'Charlie' rummaged through some drawers under the counter.

"Here it is," he said, handing me a little scrap of paper with some numbers on it. "Phone's in the same place. I'll give you some privacy." He hesitated for a second, then patted my shoulder and left the room.

I looked at the numbers he gave me again, but something about them didn't sit right, though I couldn't place the reasoning behind my uneasiness.

I didn't recognize the area code. It definitely wasn't from Santa Barbara.

I got up and went to the wall phone next to another door that led to a yard in the back of the house. I punched in my mom's old number rather than the one 'Charlie' gave me. I waited for the ring but instead got an automated message.

_We're sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed._

I took a deep breath and put the number in again.

_We're sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed._

I shook my head in disgust, irritated that my mom had changed her number and hadn't told me.

I dialed my home number next. Three times.

_We're sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed._

It didn't work. An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach as I tried my friends, my grandmother, my Uncle Shane; any number I could think of.

_We're sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed._

_We're sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed._

_We're sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed._

I slid to the floor and the phone clattered against the wall as it fell from my hand and dangled from its cord. How could none of them work? _What was going on?_

The little scrap of paper was still clutched in my hand. I stood up shakily and read the numbers off one by one as I typed them in.

I held my breath as I finally heard a ring tone.

"Hello?" The woman's voice was light and cheerful. And totally unfamiliar.

My mouth felt dry all of a sudden. "Hi. Sorry, I actually think I have the wrong number. Who is this?" My voice came out a bit raspy.

"This is Renée Dwyer. Who is this?"

My hand tightened around the phone. "Renée?"

"Bella? Honey, is that you?"

I choked and slammed the phone down. _Why had she recognized my voice? _My vision swam a bit and I fought a sudden wave of nausea.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

Charlie came dashing in and held my arm to steady me.

"When you said you would help me get a flight back, you meant Phoenix didn't you?" I said, looking at him.

"Of course," he said, brow furrowed in concern. "Did you talk to your mom? Do you still want to go back?"

I shook my head. "No. No…I…I don't want to go to Phoenix. I need a minute to…think…alone. Please."

He held my arm and gently guided me back out of the kitchen. "Why don't you go up to your room and lay down for a while," he said.

I stumbled up the stairs and into the first room I found. A bedroom.

I sat on the bed up against the left wall, pulling my legs up and hugging my knees to my chest.

The room was exactly like Bella's in the books. The walls were light blue and there was a window that looked out over the front yard of the house. The bed had a light purple quilt on it and there was a rocking chair in the corner as well as a desk with an old computer on it.

_The computer_.I lurched forward and turned it on, staring unblinkingly at the screen as it booted up.

When it was finally ready, I realized that not only was the computer ancient, but it needed dial up to connect to the internet. I vaguely remembered having a computer like it when I was a kid, but it still took me ages to figure out how to get it connected.

When it was finally ready, I brought up Yahoo, tapping my fingers on the mouse as I waited for it to load.

When I was finally able to try signing into my email, a message appeared telling me my email address didn't exist. I hit the desk in frustration.

Heart pounding, I went to the Google home page and typed in _Twilight reenactment groups_.

I lost track of time as I clicked on link after link. Not one of the results had anything to do with the books.

I typed in _Twilight_: Stephanie Meyer.

The top results were for a Dr. Meyer somewhere in Colorado and a web page for some random girl's blog.

My head swam as I sat frozen, staring at the screen. How was that possible? Twilight is one of the most popular things in the world right now. It should have millions of hits.

I went over and sat on the bed with my head between my knees. Gone. It was all gone. I didn't know what to do.

As I looked around the room in a daze, I spotted something on the walls that made me jump to my feet so fast that I stumbled and had to stop and steady myself.

There were pictures of me. There were enough them to cover a whole portion of the wall. I saw school pictures of me from when I was younger as well as much more recent ones. Like the one on the driver's license, I didn't recognize myself in any of them.

There were more too. There were pictures of me with 'Charlie', pictures of me with other kids, and a few pictures of me with a short woman with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. She looked kind of like me. Same build, same nose and mouth. We were even smiling kind of the same.

I reached forward and pulled the picture off the wall. It was me from maybe two or three years ago; I looked about fourteen or fifteen. We were hugging each other, smiling.

I took it out of its frame and flipped it over. _Bella and Renée, 2002_. The frame fell out of my hand and clattered to the floor.

I couldn't stay there. I felt the sudden urge to run far _far_ away.

I fled downstairs and out the front door. It had gotten dark while I was inside. As I looked down the street, empty as far as I could see, I never felt more alone. I felt stranded and alone; with nowhere to go. I had no money, no car, and I couldn't contact anyone I knew.

I went back into the house. All the lights were out; I hadn't noticed on my way out. 'Charlie' must've gone to bed. I felt along the wall for a switch but couldn't find one. I stumbled in the dark until my shins bumped into something hard. I felt around and found a couch. I was in the living room.

I sat down on the couch and curled up on my side. I took deep, even breaths and tried to clear my head.

**Review please!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Thanks so much to my new beta _dumbrat!_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

It was hardly light out when I woke up the next morning and it took me a second to realize where I was. I had fallen asleep on the couch. I buried my face in the cushions.

I sat up, looking around. The room was small. The couch I was laying on was dark green and sat across from an old wooden table with a small TV set on it. Along the walls stood bookcases filled with and knick knacks and faded paperbacks.

I got up and walked quietly into the kitchen.

I gently lifted up the phone and went through the same process I had done the night before. None of numbers I used worked again.

Just as I hung up, I heard a _thump_ at the front door. Curious, I went to the front door and looked out the peephole. As soon as I saw the newspaper on the porch step, my heart skipped a beat.

If I confronted 'Charlie' with the date on the paper—clearly not 2005—he would be caught in his lie and forced to give up his act and help me home.

I flung the door open, snatched the paper up, and held it tightly in my hand. I carried my prize back into the kitchen and sat at the table, waiting for him to come down.

For almost two seconds, I was calm and sure, but when I opened the newspaper, my stomach plummeted. I had to reread it three times before I could process what I was seeing.

_Tuesday, January 18__th__, 2005. _2005.

A loud _thunk_ made me jump. I realized I had leapt up from my chair without thinking, causing it to topple over.

Freezing, I listened hard. When I heard the slight sounds of someone stirring upstairs, I bolted out the front door.

Once I had gone a few houses down the street, I started making detours up to front doors, checking the newspaper from each one as I went.

Each one said the same thing, right under the headline; _Tuesday, January 18__th__, 2005._

I started running; the one number kept pounding through my head, once for every step. 2005. 2005. 2005. When I felt like my lungs were going to give out, I slowed to a walk, and then sat down on a damp curb.

How could it say 2005? Was the newspaper in on in? First the pictures, and now this?

I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that I didn't notice the car pull up next to me on the side of the road until someone opened the driver's side door and a pair of polished black shoes stepped out.

"Isabella?" It was a man's voice, hesitant and unsure. I didn't look up or answer; I was still watching his shoes.

"Isabella Swan?"

The voice was persistent. I sighed, and looked up.

The speaker was another man in a police uniform. He was average build, early twenties, with shaggy blond hair peeking out the sides of his cap.

As soon as I looked up, I could see the relief on his face.

"Thank god," he said "You're father has been practically frantic. Are you alright?"

I nodded mutely and stood up, brushing myself off.

When I didn't move, he opened the passenger side door of his police car.

"Can I give you a lift home?" he asked.

I didn't answer but I got into the car. I'd run farther than I would have guessed; it took us more than a few minutes to get back to the little white house.

As soon as we pulled up, 'Charlie' came tearing out the front door. The second I was out of the car, he pulled me in for a hug that I tried to subtly shrug out of.

"What happened, Bella? Is everything okay? Where were you?"

"I just went for a run."

"A run?" He sounded skeptical.

"Yes, a run." I walked past him through the front door.

I could hear him thanking the guy outside before he followed me into the house.

I was just standing in the front hall when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and met 'Charlie's' warm brown eyes, concern etched on his face.

"What's wrong, Bella? First yesterday at the airport and now…"

"I don't know..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I looked evenly into his eyes and the amount of warmth and concern I saw felt like a punch to the gut.

"You really know me?" I asked.

"What?" His tone was full of disbelief. Whatever he thought I was going to say, that wasn't it. "Of course I do, Bella. You're my daughter."

I brushed a hand over my eyes, frustrated to find I was almost on the verge of tears.

"You could call Renée again," 'Charlie' suggested quietly. "The two of you can talk things out…"

"No!" I said quickly, louder than I meant to. "I mean, that's okay. I don't need to talk to her."

I heard 'Charlie' sigh. "Maybe you shouldn't start school today…"

I looked back up at him, but he was looking out the front kitchen window pensively.

"What?"

"You can stay home," he continued, now talking mostly to himself "You can get settled and adjusted here before you need to go. One day of missed school won't make too much of a difference at this point and…"

As he talked, I looked around the house and couldn't help but make a note of every detail that matched something I knew from reading the books.

The couch in the living room with its matching armchair, the yellow kitchen, and the red truck barely visible out the window were all painfully familiar to me, even though they had no right to be.

I felt almost panicky as I pictured myself sitting in the house all day long, all alone.

"I don't want to stay here," I blurted out.

'Charlie' stopped talking midsentence.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I want to go…" But go where? I wanted to go home.

"School starts in a bit…"

"I guess…I guess I'll go get ready." I heard myself say.

I went into the bedroom and noticed Charlie had brought in the suitcases. I left them by the door, untouched, and picked up the black backpack from the plane.

I went to the bathroom, splashed some water on my face and pulled my hair up into a knot. What was I doing? Was I really going to go to school? In 'Forks'? All I could think about was leaving, even if it only meant leaving the house.

When I came downstairs, 'Charlie' was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for me.

"I was thinking I could give you a ride to school," he said, "if you wanted…"

"Sure. Can we leave now?

"I'll go grab my keys."

'Charlie' didn't say anything as we drove to the brick buildings that made up the high school. We pulled up to the building that had a "Front Office" sign outside and he put the car into park.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I said.

"Okay, then. I'll be here to pick you up after school."

He waited until I opened the door to the front office before he drove away.

Inside, a large woman— wearing a purple shirt that clashed terrifically with her bright red hair—sat at a desk filling out paperwork of some sort.

I stared at her. There was I sign on her desk that read 'Ms. Cope'.

She looked up and peered at me over her glasses. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Um…I…"

"Are you Isabella Swan?"

I settled on a sort of non-committal jerk of my shoulder. Apparently that was good enough for her because she started gathering up some papers from her desk.

"Welcome to Forks," she said.

She gave me a map of the school and a schedule, highlighting where each of the classes were located.

"Thanks," I said as she handed it over. I glanced at it and, despite the fact that I told myself to expect it, my stomach clenched unpleasantly to see the same schedule as the books.

I looked up when I felt her staring at me wordlessly.

"Are you alright, Miss Swan?"

She was giving me a weird look I couldn't figure out as I stood there, confused.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

"Okay, don't forget to have your teacher's sign it before you bring that back at the end of the day," she said.

I took it, thanked her, and went outside. I shivered and huddled more snuggly into my jacket. I mentally shook myself, trying to pull it together.

When I looked around and got my first chance to really see the campus, I was hit with the same panicky feeling I had gotten back at the house. Everything was too familiar. It was more than just weird.

Now that I was alone, I was starting to wish I hadn't come. I hadn't thought too far past my immediate concern of being alone in 'Charlie's' house to think my choice through. I looked away from the campus and stared down at the schedule and map I had gotten.

When the warning bell rang for the start of classes, I jumped. When all of the other students started going inside, I trailed after some people going towards the first class on the schedule, English.

Inside, a grey-haired teacher signed my schedule and sent me to a seat in the back of the room. Once I got there, I fidgeted uncomfortably. It was unsettling to have all of the other students twisting around in their chairs to stare at me.

About halfway through the class, I spotted a tall boy with dark hair and acne across the aisle from me.

I tamped down my anxiety and tried to avoid looking around the rest of the classroom. I spent the rest of the class staring at my hands. The second the bell rang, I grabbed my things and hurried outside, keeping my head down.

I had only gotten a few yards away when I heard someone shouting behind me.

"Hey! Wait up for a second."

I turned around and immediately wished I hadn't. The dark haired boy I had noticed before was jogging to catch up to me, a little out of breath by the time he slowed down to walk next to me.

"Hi, I'm Eric. You're Isabella Swan right?"

I shook my head. "No. No, I'm not"

"You're not," 'Eric' repeated doubtfully. "Who are you then?"

"I'm…I'm…" I grumbled in frustration. "This is ridiculous. I have to go," I said as I sped up.

He kept up. "You're just messing with me aren't you?" he said, grinning.

"Yeah, I'm just messing with you."

"I knew it!" he said, laughing. "You're funny!"

"Gee, thanks."

"Where's your next class?"

"Building six, I think."

"I'm heading toward building four, I could show you the way…" he trailed off hopefully.

"That's okay. I think I can find it."

"I don't mind at all though."

He was smiling enthusiastically now. I nodded.

"Okay."

"It's just this way," he said cheerfully.

The fact that I wasn't particularly chatty didn't seem to bother him. He was perfectly friendly, but it was impossible to forget who he was pretending to be. He ended up walking me right up to the door of my next class.

"It was nice meeting you, Isabella," he said, smiling, "Maybe we'll have some classes together later."

"Maybe. Thanks for the help." I looked at him one more time before I opened the door and went inside.

The rest of the morning went by insanely slowly. I was torn between wanting to just stay at school for the rest of the day to avoid 'Charlie's' house and wanting to go back to 'Charlie's' house to avoid the school.

As the morning dragged on, I tried not to notice a short, curly haired girl who was in both my Trigonometry and Spanish classes.

She walked over to talk to me just as I was getting out my seat after Spanish.

"Hi!" she was really loud and had a large smile plastered on her face. "I'm Jessica. You must be Isabella!"

I ignored her assumption as I stood up and walked past her. "Nice to meet you."

She followed me outside and matched her pace to mine.

"You should come eat lunch at my table." 'Jessica' was smiling encouragingly at me.

"No, thank you," I said, trying to speed up my pace.

"I insist." She linked her arm in mine and dragged me into the cafeteria.

We were almost inside when I realized that I had somehow forgotten about the one group of people who made the biggest difference to this place. The Cullens.

I guess in the back of my mind I had just assumed that the Cullens wouldn't show up because they couldn't. They weren't anyone a person could actually recreate because they weren't actually human people.

I started searching the cafeteria the moment I got inside. It wasn't long before I found what I was looking for. Five people sitting alone at a table in the corner.

It was almost impossible not to identify each one the second I saw them. 'Rosalie' was obvious with her tall willowy frame and long blonde hair. 'Emmett' sat next to her, with his curly brown hair – that happened to look a bit like 'Charlie's'—and large bulky muscles. He was huge.

'Alice' and 'Jasper' sat across from them; one with pointed features and short spikey hair, the other tall and lean with straw colored hair. I found 'Edward' last, his reddish-brown hair almost looked like it gave off its own shine under the cafeteria light.

When I saw them, my heart pounded in my chest and I froze mid-step, grinding 'Jessica' to a halt. It wasn't their shockingly pale skin that made me stop. It wasn't even their beyond incredible good looks.

It was the way they held themselves; the unbelievable grace and control in each miniscule movement. It seemed so obviously inhuman I wondered how no one else saw it.

As I stood frozen, my mouth hanging open in shock and horror, the tiny girl with jet-black hair suddenly looked up and met my gaze from across the room.

I tore my arm from 'Jessica's' and bolted. In a small corner of my mind I heard 'Jessica' yell after me.

The girl's eyes had been gold. Not just a strange shade of brown, but a deep, burning gold.

I ran around the side of the building and came to a halt, leaning up against the wall for support. I could feel myself steadily going to pieces.

You couldn't fake what they were like. It wasn't _human. _

Which only meant…

They were real. All of it was real. Charlie, Renée, the house, the school, the students in it—all of it.

The last shred of hope I had that the day before had been a joke slowly crumbled away. I felt like I was losing my sanity along with it. I was trapped, stuck. What was I supposed to do?

I sunk down against the brick wall, my knees curling up against my chest. The tears I hadn't realized I'd been holding in silently leaked out of the corners of my eyes.

I heard a door open nearby and I went stock-still.

"I don't get the problem, Jasper." A deep male voice drifted in my direction. "I'll admit that was weird, but she's just a girl. Why are you so worried?"

I almost stopped breathing. I tried to melt back into the wall and make myself as small as possible.

"You don't understand the level of panic radiating from that girl, Emmett. I felt it immediately from across the room. She was terrified." The second voice was softer, not as deep, but much more serious. "It was almost as if…You can't say that was normal behavior."

"I'm sure it's fine," the first voice answered. "Look, Alice said nothing changed. It had nothing to do with us. Don't you trust her?"

"Of course I do," the second voice said harshly. "But that doesn't mean—"

The voice suddenly cut off and I feared I was caught. I heard the doors open again and the babble of a group of very normal-sounding people reached me.

I didn't move for what felt like ages. When no one turned the corner in my direction, I let out a shaky sigh of relief. Then I burst into tears.

**Review please!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Hey everyone! I've got a bunch of chapters lined up to post once a day for a while so keep an eye out. When I get caught up, I'll try to write and post a new chapter once a week or so. Thanks for reading and another thanks for my beta _dumbrat!__  
><em>**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

I stopped crying after a few minutes, but I couldn't bring myself to move from where I was sitting.

After a while, I heard footsteps coming in my direction. I looked up and saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. He had a baby-face and a friendly smile. He stopped right next to me and gave me a hesitant smile.

"Isabella?"

I took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears I felt forming in the corner of my eyes again. _No, I'm Jamie_.

I turned my hand over and traced my scar. As painful of a reminder that it was, it was still physical proof that I didn't belong there.

"Hey, don't cry." He sat down next to me, leaning up against the wall also. "What's the matter?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Just homesick I guess."

"I understand. I moved here from California when I was ten, but I still miss it sometimes. I'm Mike by the way.

He stuck out his hand for me to shake and I took it, smiling slightly, "It's nice to meet you Mike."

He didn't say anything after that, but he didn't leave either. I was glad. He seemed to understand I was okay with him there, but also needed a minute to myself.

I felt closer to normal than I had in a long time and I used it to take some deep breaths and calm myself down. When the bell rang, Mike let out a sigh and then stood up. He held out a hand to help me up and I took it.

"Thanks for being so nice," I said once I was on my feet.

"No problem," he said with a wide smile. "Can I see you schedule? Maybe I could show you the way to your next class."

"It's in building two, I think," I said automatically, seeing the list in my head.

He beamed. "Great, we're in the same class! It's just around the corner," he said, nodding his head back around the building.

I gestured in the direction he had nodded, "Lead the way."

He was in no hurry as he walked and I matched his leisurely pace.

"So apart from being homesick; how do you like Forks?"

"I don't know. I don't know what to think of it."

"Give it some time," he said with a smile. "It grows on you."

I nodded. We walked up to a building and Mike leapt forward to open the door for me.

"Ladies first," he said, beaming.

When we walked in, I was met by a rush of warm air. I hadn't taken more than a few steps when I saw microscopes on a counter in the back and a poster for the structure of a cell on the wall. _Biology!_

I looked at the back of the room and saw Edward looking down at his books uninterestedly; he hadn't spotted me yet. I had no idea whether he was going to have a serious problem with me or not and I didn't want to find out.

Then my heart almost stopped in my chest as the words _mind reader_ flitted through my head.

_Edward Masen, _I called silently. Nothing. He didn't move. I let out an inaudible breath of relief. If he could hear my thoughts, that should have gotten a response of some kind.

Mike gave me an encouraging nudge towards the teacher's desk and then went to find his own desk.

Instead of walking further into the room, I started taking steps to back out of it. Just as I did, the door opened behind me and a gush of air pushed past me.

The result was immediate. Edward stiffened in his seat and his head whipped up, his coal black eyes burning into mine. He sat staring at me with a furious and hostile expression on his face, his hands clenched into fists. He was terrifying, and it shocked me.

I took an instinctive step back, and then froze. When I had moved, Edward had leaned infinitesimally forward.

Leaving would be stupid. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them again, I focused my attention on Mr. Banner and carefully took measured steps to his desk.

I handed him my schedule which he signed and gave back to me.

"Why don't you take the empty seat by Mr. Cullen," he said, handing me a textbook.

"Thanks," I answered, taking it.

As I walked up to the empty seat, I kept my eyes directly on Edward's. I tried to give him the strongest silent warning I could. I knew it was worthless, but I felt the need to do something.

He kept glaring at me, but I didn't break eye contact until I got the desk we were supposed to share. I carefully moved the chair to the very edge of the desk and sat down

As Mr. Banner got into the lecture for the day, I snuck a look over at Edward. He wasn't staring at me anymore. I could tell he wasn't breathing. He was leaning away and his face was tilted so that it was facing the window.

I felt a little bad about what he was dealing with but I was also terrified for myself. He hardly looked like he was in control.

The class passed by unbearably slowly; I half expected Edward to leap at me at some point. I was wound so tight that when the bell finally rang, I jumped and tripped on my own feet, hitting my leg on the desk and almost falling on the floor before I was able to steady myself.

Edward was up and out the door before I had gotten myself upright. I sighed in relief as I made way out of the classroom, glad that I had made my way through the hour in one piece. When I got outside Mike was waiting for me right by the door.

"What class do you have next?" he asked me through a broad smile.

"Gym." I answered automatically. If it was possible, his smile got even bigger.

"That's my next class, too. I'll show you the way."

"Okay."

"So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that."

"No. I…I don't know what that was about at all." I lied fiercely.

"He's a weird guy. If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would have talked to you." At that point we had entered the gym, so I just gave him a vague smile and went over to the teacher. He gave me my new gym clothes but told me I didn't need to dress until the next day.

When the final bell rang, signaling the end of the day, I lingered in the gym for a little while. I wanted to wait to turn in my signed schedule until after Edward had tried to get Ms. Cope to switch him out of class. Deciding that ten minutes was enough time, I got up and made my way over to the front office.

I pulled out my schedule as I walked. Just like the books. _Uncanny_. I was so preoccupied that I didn't notice the office door opening until it flung towards me and someone stormed out.

I looked up and saw Edward glaring furiously at me. Apparently ten minutes _wasn't_ enough. I backed away from him slowly, crossing my arms over my chest and trying not to breathe towards him.

For half a second, I thought he was going to jump me. I uncrossed my arms, feeling ridiculous. He barreled angrily past me without saying anything.

"Sorry, Edward," I said as he stormed by. For whatever reason, I at least wanted him to know I felt bad.

He faltered slightly, almost as if he was going to stop, and I hurried on towards the office. I turned around as I opened the door, watching him as he ran to the parking lot.

It was blissfully warm inside. Ms. Cope glanced up when I came in, smiling as I handed her my signed schedule.

"How was your day, Miss Swan?" she asked, taking it and tucking it into a folder.

"Fine, thanks."

"That's good to hear. Feel free to come in and see me if you ever have any questions."

"Thanks, I will."

It was drizzling went I went back outside. As I pulled on my hood, my attention was drawn to a police car sitting in the front office parking lot.

I felt a huge rush of guilt when as I watched Charlie. He hadn't seen me yet.

_If— _and it was a huge if— this wasn't some trick or lie, my behavior towards Charlie in the last 24 hours had been nothing short of cruel. To him, it was like the daughter he loved so much wanted nothing to do with him in return.

He glanced at his watch. I took a deep breath as I walked over and got into the passenger seat.

"Hey Bella. How was your first day?" His question came out haltingly. I felt another pang of guilt when I understood his hesitation.

"It was okay. Not at all what I was expecting."

"In a good way or a bad way?" he asked.

"Good, I guess," I said after a pause.

We drove the next few minutes in silence.

"I'll drop you off at the house, but then I have to go back to the station. I'll be home around dinner time," he said abruptly.

"Okay."

"I'll grab us a pizza on the way home."

"Sounds good." I twisted my fingers into knots in my lap. "Look, I'm really sorry for how I acted yesterday."

"Bella…" he cut in, shaking his head.

"No wait, I really need to finish. I've been terrible. I really…appreciate what you're doing. You haven't done anything to deserve the way I treated you."

We pulled up to the house and Charlie put the car into park. He didn't move in his seat as he answered.

"It's okay. I get that it takes time to adjust to someplace new."

"I know that's no excuse, but thanks. Things will be better, I promise." It was the best I could do.

I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked pleased, and his face was a bit red when I got out of the car.

When I got in the house I went straight upstairs and into the bedroom. I closed the door and dumped the backpack on the floor. I kicked off my shoes, pulled back the covers on the bed and climbed in.

I laid there quietly for a little while, taking deep breaths and trying not to think. When that failed, I turned over on my side and closed my eyes.

I woke up with a jolt, feeling like someone had just yelled in my ear. The complete blackness in the room threw me; I had no idea what time it was. I turned over and looked at the clock next to the bed. It was almost midnight.

I noticed a folded piece of paper right next to the clock. I could just make out the name, _Bella _and I reached over to pick it up. I couldn't see well enough to read it so I got up and felt my way over to the desk and flicked on the lamp.

_Bella,_

_You were asleep when I got home and I didn't want to wake you up. I don't know how long you've been out, but if you wake up and want something to eat there's pizza in the fridge. I'm right next door if you need anything._

–_Dad_

My hand fell open and I dropped the note when I read the signature at the end. A familiar hollow feeling settled in my chest. Charlie wasn't my dad. My dad was gone.

My stomach growled. I hadn't had anything to eat in what felt like ages. I walked back over to the bed and pulled on some shoes. I grabbed the black jacket and took steps towards the door, quietly making my way downstairs.

I grabbed a slice of two slices of pizza out of the fridge and tiptoed to the front door, silently closing it behind me.

It was dark outside, but the moon was bright enough that I could see fairly well and I wasn't too cold wearing the jacket. I pulled the hood up over my head and walked towards the woods on the other side of the street.

It started to drizzle, but once I walked under the cover of the trees, I couldn't feel it.

I wandered aimlessly, looking back every once in a while to make sure I could see the lights from the houses and the street lamps. As long as I knew where the main street was, I figured I could find my way back.

I walked for a while, until I came across a large rock with a flat top. I stopped and sat down, munching on the pizza.

I forced myself to acknowledge the fact that – however impossible—the people in this town were from _Twilight_. Seeing the Cullens convinced me of that. They couldn't fake what they were. And, if they weren't, I was ninety-nine percent sure no one else was either.

Admitting it to myself was really hard. I knew it was true, but the rational, realistic part of me was still refusing to accept it fully.

As I sat there I could hear the rain start to fall in full force. It made plopping noises as it hit the trees and water was starting to drip down off the branches and onto me.

I finished my last bite and got up; walking back the direction I had come from. When I got to the edge of the trees, I could see sheets of rain pouring onto the ground. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the little shelter that I had.

I was immediately soaked. I looked down the street and realized I had gone much farther than I had originally thought. I took off at a run. The rain was icy as it pelted my skin. Even at my quick pace, it took me a long time to get back to the house.

By the time I got there, I was shivering like crazy and soaked all the way through to my skin.

I opened the door as quietly as possible, trying to keep my teeth from chattering. I skipped every other step as I went upstairs and back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

I stripped off my wet shirt and pants and upturned everything in the suitcases onto the floor. I pulled on layer after layer of dry clothes and threw myself on the bed, huddling into a ball under the blankets.

Shivers raked my whole body. I closed my eyes and took deep, even breaths. It wasn't long before I was asleep again.

**Review please, I love to hear from you guys!**


	4. Chapter Four

**So here's the new chapter! It's a bit shorter than the past few, but keep an eye out for another one tomorrow!**

**On a side note, I'm totally obsessed with this song _Boy With a Coin _by Iron and Wine. You guys should check it out, it was definitely playing through my head on repeat while I edited this chapter haha**

**Also, I haven't been the best at answering questions from reviews in the past, but it's another thing I'm trying to step up and do so feel free to ask me anything!**

**Thanks for reading and another thanks to _dumbrat _for beta-ing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

The next time I woke up, dim light was coming through the window. I felt weak and sore all over. Pressure built up in my chest and I sat up, the need to cough overwhelming me.

As I coughed, I heard footsteps out in the hall. A few seconds later Charlie walked in.

"Bella? Are you okay?"

"I don't feel so good."

"You don't look so good," he answered. He came and stood next to my bed, feeling my forehead. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to answer him and was overcome with another coughing fit.

"Go back to sleep, Bella. I'll go call the school," he said. "You're staying home today."

I felt so tired I didn't care to do more than sink back into the pillows.

I slept on and off throughout day, not getting out of bed once. Charlie came in a couple times trying to get me to eat something, but my throat hurt too much to eat the off-brand soup-in-a-can he brought in.

I slept fitfully again during the night, waking up every couple hours from vivid nightmares that I forgot as soon as I woke up.

It was almost noon when I woke up the next day with sharp pains in my stomach. Holy crap was I hungry. The house was quiet and I figured Charlie was long gone for work. I sat up and spotted another note on the desk.

Bella,

I cleared you for school again so rest and try to eat something. There's chicken noodle by the stove downstairs.

Feel better,

Dad

I headed downstairs and saw a pot and the soup sitting on the kitchen counter. I rifled through the drawers in the kitchen until I found a can opener, used it, and set the soup on the stove to warm. While I waited, I made myself some coffee too.

When they were done, I went into the living room and set the coffee and soup on the coffee table. I grabbed a faded quilt off the back of the couch and settled in.

I watched TV while I ate, feeling really cozy. I was comfortable for a while and it was easy to distract myself with show after show. I didn't even notice that it had gotten dark again until I heard a key turning the lock on the front door.

"Bella?"

"In here," I answered.

"You look better," he said as he walked in.

"I feel better," I said with a smile.

"Good, because I brought take-out," he said, holding up a brown bag. He put it down on the table in front of me and walked into the kitchen to pull plates and silverware out of a cabinet.

He sat down in the arm chair next to the couch and handed me a plate.

"Do you mind if I put the game on?"

I shook my head and opened one of the containers. Italian. Yum.

As soon as we finished, I got up to do the dishes. I picked up our plates but Charlie waved me off.

"I'll do it Bells. Why don't you head upstairs and get your room set up. You still haven't unpacked any of your things."

I froze, but managed to thank him gratefully and go upstairs; closing the door behind me.

I sighed in resignation at the mountain of stuff that sitting in the middle of the room.

I picked up a CD player from the pile and plugged it in. I put in a Beatles disk that I had used to listen to at home and turned the volume up.

I smiled as listened to the familiar music. I methodically put clothes into the closet and drawers and threw everything else haphazardly on the desk.

It didn't take me long before everything was put away somewhere. The only things I had left sitting out were the books and the CDs.

By the time I was done it was pitch black outside and the rest of the house was totally silent.

On my way down the hall to brush my teeth I grabbed the first thing I could find to sleep in. It was the ratty sweats and t-shirt from the book.

I went back to the room and sat down on the bed, looking at the new clear space. The room had a different feel to it now. It looked lived-in.

I jumped under the blankets, burrowing my head under the pillows. Then I pulled the covers over my face and went to sleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up Friday morning to the smell of coffee wafting through the house. I went downstairs and saw Charlie reading a paper and drinking out of a mug; fully dressed in his police uniform.<p>

"Morning, Bella. How're you feeling?"

"Fantastic," I answered truthfully. "A million times better."

"That's great," he said with a smile. He folded up his newspaper and got up to refill his cup.

"Turns out I have to work today," he said regretfully, "and I probably won't be home until late."

"It's okay," I said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"I know you will Bells," he said. He went into the hallway and came back with a set of keys.

"We're real short on groceries. You'll have to stop by the store on the way home from school." He smiled tentatively and dropped the keys into my hand.

"I still want you to have the truck," he said. "If you've changed your mind."

My fingers closed around the cold pieces of metal. "Thank you. I really do love it; it's perfect."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said. HIs ears turned red and he looked down at his watch. "Shoot, I'm late."

He glanced wistfully at his new cup of coffee before dumping it out and putting the mug in the sink.

"I have to get going," he said. "Food money is in the same spot."

I got up and gave him a hug. "Thanks. I'll see you tonight."

He hugged me back and I followed him to the front door and watched him put on his holster and jacket.

"Bye, Bells," he said, and left the house.

As I listened to him drive away, I looked down at the keys clutched in my hand. There were two of them, one silver and one gold, on a little metal ring. I sudden image flashed in my mind of taking the truck and driving all the way home.

I turned the keys over in my hand, considering it. The thought had crossed my mind more than once while I had been sick. I had spent hours wondering and dreading what I might find there. I wanted, more than anything, to be able to think that my mom and my life were there waiting for me, just out of reach, but I couldn't make myself believe that my own world was the same one I was living in now.

Despite my doubts, I knew I would have to go home and find out for myself. I had to see with my own eyes what was left for me in my home. But even as I wished it, I knew I had no money to pay for that kind of road trip. I'd never make it twenty miles. I walked back into the kitchen and looked over at the row of ceramic mason jars sitting on the counter. Setting the keys down, I looked through each one.

I found what I was searching for in the very last one I opened. It was stuffed with bills—mostly singles and a couple of fives. I pulled them out and carefully counted each one. There was about seventy or eighty dollars altogether. Not nearly enough.

I dropped the money on the table and went upstairs to get ready for school. I picked out a pair of jeans and a top and went into the bathroom. I came back downstairs showered and dressed twenty minutes later.

My stomach grumbled uncomfortably as I walked back into the kitchen. I flipped through the cabinet until I found a power bar on a shelf next to a bag of jerky and bottle of steak marinade. Hoping Charlie wouldn't mind, I took it.

As I left, I eyed the money on the table. After a moment's hesitation, I picked up the stack of bills and stuffed it in my pocket, picking up the keys and making my way to the front door.

I figured that if one of the keys were for the truck, the other might be for the house. Sure enough, when I tested the gold key in the lock, it turned the bolt with a soft click. I pulled out the key and put on the jacket hanging by the door before leaving the house and relocking the door behind me.

The truck sat where it had all week long in front of the house. I walked around it, running my hand over the rusted red paint. Each scratch and dent made me curious of it source—even more so when I thought of its previous owners.

I stopped in front of the driver's side door and tried to fit the second key into the lock. It took some jimmying, but I managed to get it open. When I sat down and closed the door behind me, I caught a huge whiff of dirt and the outdoors, and the faint smell of peppermint.

Pulling the seatbelt across my lap, I started the car and headed towards the school. The engine really was loud; the wheel was vibrating slightly under my hands. I waited in the truck with the heater on until I heard the bell ring. But as the morning went on, I found myself spacing out in all of my classes as I thought more of what I might find at home.

I had to assume Santa Barbara as a city was how I had left it, but I spent the morning hours wondering if my street was still the same, or if my house was still in the spot in its little cul-de-sac. Worst of all, I wondered if my mother would even be there if it was; if she existed in this world at all.

At lunch, despite the rain, I sat outside on a cluster of picnic tables. For whatever reason, I didn't feel like being around people. I was so preoccupied that I almost didn't even notice that Edward wasn't in school. It wasn't until halfway through Biology that I realized the seat next to me was empty and remembered where he was.

After school, I remembered what Charlie had said about the lack of food in the house. I hadn't seen a grocery store on the way to campus so when I left, I drove down the street past the school.

I drove on the edge of my seat, looking at the houses I passed with some curiosity. After a few minutes, the small houses turned into little shops and stores dotted along the street.

I had passed a post office, two chotchkie shops, and three places selling bait and tackle supplies when I saw the sign 'Newton's Olympic Outfitters'. I hit the brakes and jerked the wheel to turn the car into the parking lot out front. A car honked as it swerved around mine and drove on down the street.

I ignored it and stared at the family-run store in front of me. Bella had gotten a job here hadn't she? Why couldn't I? With the money I earned I could save enough for a plane ticket to Santa Barbara. As much as I was afraid of what I might find, I needed to know what was there and there was no trying to deny otherwise

Shoving my anxiety aside, I got out of the car and walked up to the front door of the store. I didn't look like they were open yet. As I peered in through the window, the lights flickered on inside. A tall, pretty woman with long blond hair walked in and took off her coat, putting her purse on the counter next to the register.

I tapped on the glass, making her jump and look over. She smiled when she saw me and walked over to unlock and open the door.

"Hi there. May I help you?"

"Hello, Mrs. Newton. My name is Bella, "I took a deep breath, "and I was wondering if I could ask you for a job."

"A job," she repeated in surprise. "Here?"

"I know this is out of the blue, but I'd really appreciate the work. I can do all sorts to help out too; I used to work in a little boutique," I lied. "I helped restock inventory, work the register…things like that."

"Well this certainly is a surprise," she said kindly. "Why don't you come inside and we can talk."

She held the door open for me and closed it again when I was inside, flipping a sign on it to say '_Open'_. She walked behind the register and moved her bag to the floor.

"Would you happen to be Isabella Swan by any chance?" she asked. I nodded.

"I thought so. My son mentioned you had your first day but that you've been absent all week."

"I've been feeling a bit under the weather," I explained, "but I'm fine now. I was back at school today."

"Well I'm glad you're better and that you've taken an interest with us, but may I ask why you picked our store?" she questioned curiously.

"Mike was the nicest, most welcoming person I met at school. I figured that if his family was anything like him, this would be a great place to work."

Mrs. Newton's smile softened at the compliment. "What about your family? Does the chief mind you getting a job?"

"He's okay with it," I lied. It seemed weird to need parental permission from a fake father, but I knew Charlie wouldn't tell me I couldn't.

"I wouldn't be able to pay you very much," she warned, "or guarantee you very many hours…It would be minimum wage and maybe ten or fifteen hours a week…"

I held my breath and crossed my fingers behind my back. "Whatever you can do would be perfect."

Mrs. Newton smiled at me bemusedly. "Okay, then. You're hired."

My heart leapt into my throat. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Bella," she said kindly. "Why don't you come back after school on Monday and we'll get you all sorted out."

"Sounds great, Mrs. Newton," I said gratefully.

"Call me Nancy, Bella. I look forward to seeing you in a couple days."

I left the store with a huge smile plastered across my face.

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter Five

**You all get a huge monster chapter today with a lot of new stuff :) You're welcome!**

**Plus, I've got another song of the day for you, **_**And When I Die**_** by The Heavy. Ch-check it out!**

**Thanks to my beta **_**dumbrat!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

I came back to the house feeling elated. I could make my trip back. It was going to take some time, but I finally had a way.

Once I put away groceries—I had found a Thriftway after I had left the Newtons'—I went straight upstairs to do some research. After checking airline prices and carefully doing the math, I figured out it would take me about four weeks give or take to earn the money I needed for a one way ticket— plus however much I would need for a taxi.

I leaned forward and lay my cheek against the desk. Four long weeks. It seemed like an impossibly long time to wait, but it was the only way.

I picked up one of the books that I had stacked up on the floor. _For Whom the Bell Tolls. _I flipped through the pages, noting where it had been dog eared and bent back at the spine. I had never read it, but someone else obviously had.

Shame and guilt flooded my stomach. This book…these things, this life…it belonged to _someone_. Where was the real Bella? Was she lost somewhere? Stuck and stranded somewhere like I was? I had a wild thought of her sitting in my room, just as I was sitting in hers, my mom and friends all calling her Jamie, before I shoved it away.

This was madness, and none of it was fair.

* * *

><p>I found myself avoiding Charlie for the rest of the weekend. Every time I saw him, the first thing that always sprung into my head was my own parents. It was getting to the point where I would feel anxious and upset just by looking at him.<p>

It was easy on Saturday since he got a call first thing in the morning and had to go to work. He didn't get back to the house until late at night. When I heard him come back, I made sure I was in bed and pretending to be asleep by the time he opened the bedroom door to check on me.

When I didn't come downstairs by late Sunday morning, he came up and knocked on the door.

"Come in," I said, not looking up from the textbook I had open on my lap.

"Hey," I heard him say as he opened the door. "Everything okay? Are you feeling sick again?"

"No I'm fine," I answered, my eyes glued to the page. I pretended to scribble into a notebook. "Just catching up on the school I missed."

"Oh. Okay," he said awkwardly. "Sorry to bother you; I'll leave you to it."

I heard the latch click. Looking up at the closed door, I felt a pang of regret. _Time, _I told myself, _was all I needed._

I picked up _For Whom the Bell Tolls _from the pile of fake schoolwork I had surrounded myself with. With nothing else to do, I flipped open to page one.

Hours later and more than two thirds of the way through the book, I heard another knock at the door.

Charlie poked his head in. "Sorry to interrupt Bells. Phone for you downstairs."

I raised my eyebrow questioningly as I bookmarked my page, but by the time I looked up Charlie had already headed back downstairs.

I went into the kitchen and picked the phone up from where it sat on its side on the counter.

"Hello?"

A woman immediately answered, talking almost faster than I could follow. "Bella! There you are! I sent you five emails, why haven't you answered me? I was so worried about you."

The familiar voice thrummed through my ear and I tried to place where I had heard her before.

"…I thought something might have happened! You promised you would write me as soon as you got there and it's been days—"

My brain clicked and my voice caught in my throat when I realized who it was.

"Ren—" I stopped myself. "I'm fine." I carefully decided what to say. Renée knew her daughter really well and I definitely wasn't her. "I'm sorry I didn't write you back. My..uh…email address got hacked. I had to delete it."

"Please, Bella. Make yourself a new one; I really need to hear from you. I miss you."

"I'll get it set up tonight."

"Are you alright sweetheart? You sound upset," she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," I choked out. "Do I really sound different to you?" I asked, wishing the incident that had occurred the first time I talked to her had been a fluke.

"You sound the same, honey," she said with some concern, "You just sound like something is wrong. You're worrying me. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure," I said steadily, "I…I just missed you is all."

Her voice softened. "I miss you too sweetheart."

There was a pause and I heard a man's voice in the background. "Okay, give me one second," I heard Renée answer him.

"Bella? I have to go sweetie," she said to me reluctantly. "Phil says we're late for out dinner reservation. "

"It's alright," I answered. "Have a good time with Phil."

"Oh and before I forget, did you call me the other day?" she asked.

"N—no," I choked out. "Why do you ask?"

"I got the strangest phone call…I could have sworn it was you," she said pensively. "Oh well, I guess it was just one of those things…"

I heard the man's voice again.

"I guess I really need to go, Phil's getting impatient with me," she laughed girlishly.

"Okay," I said, smiling despite myself. "Have fun."

"I will," she laughed. "And don't forget to write me back once you've gotten your email set up. I want to hear all about your new school."

"I'll do it tonight, I promise."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too," I responded automatically. I suddenly felt a wave of nausea when I realized what I'd said. I put the phone back on its hook and walked quickly out of the kitchen.

Charlie had sat down to watch football on the couch while I was on the phone. "Is everything okay?" he asked, looking at me over the back of the couch.

"Everything's fine," I lied. "If it's okay with you, I'll just grab leftovers for dinner when I get a chance later. I still have a lot of studying to do."

"That's fine," he said. "I'll be here if you need me."

I nodded and went back upstairs. I closed the door and sat down on the bed to try and finish the book, but after twenty minutes I realized it wouldn't be as easy to distract myself as it had been earlier.

The last bits of my conversation with Renée kept repeating through my head. _I love you _she had said, andI had answered. I told her _I love you too. _The response had been unconscious and I hadn't thought much of it before I said it, but now I was left feeling unsettled about the whole thing.

I tried again to read the book and just found myself rereading the same line over and over. My eyes drifted shut as the repetition of it lulled me to sleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning to a knock at the door. I was still fully dressed with Hemingway open across my chest.<p>

"Come in," I said groggily.

Charlie looked in. "Morning. You have school today; up and at'em."

"I'm up," I said, sitting up and stretching out my cramped muscles. "What time is it?"

"A quarter 'til," he answered. "I'm heading in to work, but I wanted to make sure you were up and let you know there's coffee in left the pot before I left."

"Okay, thanks."

He shifted from foot to foot for a few seconds before he turned around and walked out. I listened to him walk downstairs and heard the front door open and close.

After I heard him start up the car and drive away, I got out of bed and looked out the window. The world was so white with snow it was almost blinding. _My first time in the snow, _I thought distractedly.

After I picked out a pair of jeans and a black sweater I got showered and ready before heading downstairs. Today was the first day of a long four weeks. _I can do this,_ I told myself, _nothing to it_. Today I would make by first step by starting work at the Newtons'.

I drove carefully to school, a little nervous about the snow seeing how I'd never driven in it before, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

I saw the silver Volvo almost the second I pulled into the school. Despite myself, I had almost forgotten all about the Cullens. My heart skipped a beat when I thought about seeing them again.

The bell rang as I locked the doors to the truck. I couldn't help but bend down and smush a small handful of snow into my first snowball. I grinned and lobbed it up in the air, watching it fall and splatter by my feet. Rubbing my now numb fingers off on my jeans, I headed off to my first class.

The morning dragged on and on, but I made myself pay attention in each of my classes. I made a list in my head. Read _Wuthering Heights_ for English, take notes for chapters twelve and thirteen for government, finish fifteen problems for trig, learn the past tense forms of a list of verbs for Spanish.

I had to finish all of that, plus each of the assignments I had missed the week before. I was determined not to draw attention to myself and I knew that completing all my assignments on time and not talking in class would keep me off most of the teachers' radar.

By the time fourth period ended, I was tired and overwhelmed.

Jessica walked with me to the cafeteria, keeping up a stream of chatter that I had a hard time paying attention to.

"And then she told me that…"

I groaned inwardly as she started in on some girl who had apparently bought the same jacket as her. I made myself smile politely, but inwardly I decided it didn't seem fair for her to blame the girl, Ashley, I remembered suddenly, for it, when there were only three some-odd places to shop for clothes.

"Isabella, your…"

I tripped over my feet, landing awkwardly on my knees. I threw my hands out, barely saving myself from falling into a good-sized snow pile.

"…shoelace is untied." Jessica sniggered quietly.

"Shoot," I said. Two wet spots had already formed on my jeans. I shifted into a crouch so I couldn't do anymore damage.

As my cold fingers fumbled with the laces, I could hear her Jessica shift her feet impatiently.

"You go on," I said. "I'll meet you inside."

"Okay," she answered gratefully. "I'll hold you a spot in the line." Then she turned and walked inside without looking back.

As I stood up and started walking inside, I felt someone grab my shoulder. Surprised, I turned around and found that it was Mike who had stopped me.

"Are you okay?" he said, a little out of breath, but still smiling. "I saw you fall."

My face turned bright red. "I'm fine. It's my own fault for not paying attention."

He grinned sympathetically. "So my mom said you came by the shop and asked for a job. Are you really going to work for us?"

"That's the plan," I said. "If you don't mind."

"Of course not," he said beaming. "I think it's great! When do you start?"

"Today actually."

"Awesome," he said enthusiastically. "I'll find you after school and you can follow me over."

"Sounds great, Mike," I said politely.

He opened the cafeteria door and held it open for me as I walked through. We walked inside and Mike shrugged off his jacket. "So, now that we're going to spend some more time together, I was wondering if maybe you might want to…"

As he talked, without really thinking about it, I looked over to the table in the corner, not sure what I would find. They were all there. Edward had come back. I tried to keep my face expressionless.

"Isabella?" _Oops, I forgot about Mike_.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

For whatever reason, he turned beet red. "No, nothing. Never mind."

I weaved through the other students and followed him over to where Jessica stood in line, momentarily distracted.

My stomach was fluttering frantically and I fought the urge to turn around and stare at the Cullen table. I couldn't imagine eating anything so I grabbed a soda.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked me.

"Not particularly."

I paid for my drink and followed Jessica over to a table that was about half full.

Mike asked me twice, with unnecessary concern, if I was okay. As we walked up, I recognized Eric and I made my guesses at who some of the others might be. When Mike quickly named off each person, I made a point to memorize the faces that went with Angela, Lauren, and Ben.

"We've already met," Eric said with a smile. He shifted the empty chair next to him. "Have a seat."

Mike glared at him as I sat down, taking the seat on my other side.

"Do you like not have any money to buy lunch?" Lauren asked with a smirk as I sat down.

"No, I'm good. Just not that hungry" I answered, totally bewildered by her hostility.

She opened her mouth to say something back, but Ben cut her off. I could've kissed him.

"Where were you last week?" he said. "You started on Wednesday didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. I stayed home sick, just feeling a bit under the weather."

"Bummer," he said. "Being sick sucks."

"Yes, it does," I agreed.

Thankfully, the Jessica turned the conversation to herself and I was left to my own thoughts.

A bit later, I remembered with a smile the part from the book when Bella looks over at the Cullen table right after Alice chucks a snowball into Emmett's face.

Still smiling, I purposefully made a decision to look over at the Cullen table. I took a deep breath and looked up. Emmett's hair was flecked with snow as he shook his head at Rosalie and Alice, getting them wet with the melted ice. Edward and Jasper laughed as Alice hid behind a cafeteria tray. I grinned as I watched them all laughing and smiling at each other.

Jessica's voice cut through my thoughts. "Isabella, what are you staring at?"

My smiled froze in place as Edward looked over to our table, his eyes quickly flickering over Jessica before landing on me. His eyes were really light today, and I gave myself a few second to look before I tore my eyes away and stared at my hands.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you," Jessica whispered to me, giggling.

"Just ignore him. Please."

"Why. Did something happen between you two?" She didn't try to hide her doubt.

"No. Please, just leave him be."

"He's still staring," she said.

"Then don't stare back!"

"Jeez, fine!"

When the bell rang for the end of lunch, I collected my things and got up to follow Mike outside. I had a hard time listening to him complain about the snow melting as we walked. I wondered hopefully if Edward would talk to me in Biology.

The minute I thought it made me wonder if I had any right to. I knew, better than anyone in our class, how easy it would be to become friends with him if he let me. I realized suddenly that I did want to be his friend; more than anyone else in Forks. On the other hand, I also knew how hard it would be to become his friend and then watch him leave.

Even though he had come back, I didn't know how resolved he was to stay. I was afraid of what it would be like to just get a glimpse of who he was and then never seeing him again. I figured it would be easier to see if he actually was going to stay before I tried to befriend him. _Coward, _a little voice in the back of my head taunted. I pushed it aside as I walked up to the door of Biology.

When Mike and I got inside, I sat down and slid my seat as far away as I could from where Edward was going to be in a few seconds. No need to make things harder than they already were. I opened my notebook and took my time copying '_Stages of Mitosis' _onto the top of the page, doing my best to not watch the door.

I saw him come in out of the corner of my eye, and I tried my hardest to ignore him. When I heard the chair next to mine being pulled out and scraped along the floor, my heart skipped a beat.

I glanced up and saw Edward sitting down, taking care to position his chair as far away from mine as possible. He smiled at me. I was shocked by the brilliance of it, but the light circles under his eyes were a shadow that reminded me of the danger.

"Hello," His voice startled me; in that one word I heard how almost laughably inhuman it sounded. _Really? How did no one notice something was up with these guys?_

"My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week." I fought the urge to snort. He was too busy trying to not kill me last week to bother introducing himself.

"Hi," I said. _Be polite, but don't be too friendly_, I reminded myself.

He smiled at me again, and my breath caught. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

I hesitated, "Oh, ummm…"

"Isabella!" Mike came over to our table. "I forgot. You dropped this in the cafeteria." He handed me a pen.

"Thanks," I answered, and I was spared from answering.

Mr. Banner chose that moment to start class so I turned my attention to the front and Mike returned to his seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Edward staring at me.

"Today's lab will focus on the stages of mitosis. Each of you and your partner will look at onion root cells on slides that I will pass out. You will need to identify which stage is occurring on each one. As soon as you receive your slides, you may begin. Good luck."

As soon as Mr. Banner finished, a babble of voices returned to the room.

"You still haven't told me your name."

I looked over to Edward who was staring at me intently. I knew he knew what my name was. _What was he doing?_

"Um…Bella, I guess."

Mr. Banner came by our table and dropped off our slides. Each one was labeled with a little number from one to five in the corner. I pulled out the top one and slid it into place.

"You guess?" He was raising his eyebrows at me.

"No…I mean yes…I mean…," I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath to pull myself together.

I opened my eyes. "No, not a guess. I'm Bella, nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out without really thinking about it. I tried to jerk my hand back, but, to my surprise, Edward caught it. His hand was icy cold and rock hard.

He shook mine gently, "It's nice to meet you too."

My breath caught in my throat, I had no idea what to say. Edward released my hand and I jerked it into my lap, embarrassed.

"We should get started," I said, avoiding looking at him.

I glanced through the eyepiece.

"Prophase," I said. "You can check it if you'd like."

"Thank you."

I glanced over at him and he was smiling lightly as he looked in the microscope, but I thought I saw a bit of frustration there too.

"Prophase," he agreed, deftly switching the slides. I wrote our answer into the worksheet as he glanced back into the microscope for the next slide.

Without really thinking, I wrote 'anaphase' into the next space. Even though I had never done the lab before in my life, I knew all the answers by heart. I covered the writing quickly with my hand as he looked up, hoping didn't notice my slip-up.

"Anaphase."

I quickly scribbled in the answer again over my own writing. He replaced the slide again and passed it to me to look at.

We finished the lab quickly. Even though I didn't check his work, he checked mine.

I couldn't help but glance over at him we finished, and I noticed he still wasn't breathing.

We sat in silence for a few seconds. I looked around the room and saw my classmates struggling. Mike kept shooting unfriendly glances over at Edward that made me feel annoyed and guilty; I figured his thoughts weren't being all that nice either. I looked over at Edward, and his eyes flashed up to meet mine. I blushed, annoyed at myself for being caught staring.

"Sorry about that," I said quietly. "I don't know what's gotten in to him."

He looked mildly confused for a second, and then surprised when he figured out what I meant.

"What—" the question he wanted to ask was obvious, but thankfully he was interrupted by Mr. Banner again when he came over to see why we weren't working.

"So, Edward, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" he asked after glancing over our paper.

"Bella," Edward corrected, looking away from me. "Actually, she identified three of the five."

Mr. Banner looked over at me at that point and I was kind of insulted by the skeptical look on his face.

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked.

"No. I read it in the book." _No need to tell him which book._

The skepticism was obvious on Mr. Banner's face. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Phoenix?"

"I guess so."

"Well," he said, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." I watched him as he walked away, muttering under his breath.

We sat in silence for about a minute after he left, and then I heard Edward ask, "It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?"

"I guess so," I answered, avoiding looking at him. "I've never been around snow much before."

"Forks must be very different than you're used to then."

"You have no idea," I muttered darkly, glancing away.

I looked up when he didn't say anything and saw that he was staring at me again. Uncomfortable with the intensity of it, I looked away.

"Why did you move here?" he asked abruptly.

The question startled me. I should have remembered he was going to ask but it had slipped my mind. I had no idea what to say. I made the mistake of looking up again. His eyes were gentler now. They looked kind and understanding, persuasive.

"It's a long story. I really don't want to get into it," I said.

"We have time. Tell me."

"I can't, sorry."

Edward's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "Bella Swan," he said, "you are very stubborn."

"Tell me. Please." His voice turned softer and he stared right into my eyes.

"My mother got remarried." He opened his mouth to cut me off but I shook my head. I was going to tell the story all at once and be done with it. "Not that I don't him or they don't want me around or anything it's just he plays baseball for a living, only minor league, but enough that he travels a lot. I came to Forks so my mom didn't have to choose between staying at home with me and being with him."

It was easier than the truth and I couldn't come up with anything else quick enough. He had listened to my rant, eyebrows raised. Now he was frowning. "But now you're unhappy."

"Apparently life's not fair." I bent down and doodled on the corner of my open notebook.

"I believe I have heard that before." I could tell he was frowning again.

"I'm sorry," he said, sounding amused, "Am I bothering you?"

I looked up at him quickly, surprised that's how I was coming across. "No! Not at all! You're really nice…it's just...I'm not sure what to say to you, Edward." I fought the urge to put a hand over my mouth to take it back and instead bit my lip.

Just then Mr. Banner called for attention so I faced the front, fighting the blush I could feel spreading across my cheeks.

Where did that come from? _I shouldn't have said anything. _We didn't speak for the rest of class, and he bolted out the door the second the bell rang. Mike instantly came over and picked up my books for me.

"Thanks, but I got it," I said, taking them back.

He shrugged. "That was awful. They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

"It's not so hard if you read the material ahead of time, Mike" I answered, jabbing him teasingly in the side with my elbow.

He smiled sheepishly, and I smiled at him in return.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we walked towards the gym. I knew he was remembering how hostile Edward had been on my first day, and I knew he wasn't pleased that that had changed.

"Yeah," I said, wanting to defend him. "He's a pretty nice guy. You didn't have to glare at him the whole time."

He had the good grace to look guilty. By the time we split up to go into the locker rooms though he was back to his normal cheerful self. I got to dress out for the first time, and I actually had fun with the volleyball game. Mike made it all the better; he kept covering for me and feeding me the ball.

After class, we agreed to meet over at the store instead so he could go home and change.

As I walked through the parking lot when class was over, I tried not to look over to the Volvo.

I was so focused on not looking, that I wasn't watching where I was going. I stepped into a giant puddle, water soaking through my boots and into my sock. I muttered a curse under my breath as I opened the door to the truck, then laughed to myself. _Smooth, really smooth_.

I totally deserved it. I couldn't help looking over at Edward and saw he was smiling. Despite my wet pant leg, I was glad he could still look at me and smile, even if I was making an idiot of myself. I smiled back and waved.

I got into the front seat of my car, relaxing as I turned up the heat as high as it could possibly go. I carefully pulled out of my spot and turned out towards the main street. I took the chance to look in my rearview mirror to catch a last glimpse of Edward for the day, and saw him watching my car as it drove away.

The parking lot to the Newton's camping store was nearly full when I pulled in. Mrs. Newton was helping a customer when I came in. She smiled and nodded at me.

When she had directed them over to a selection of outdoor sleeping bags, she came over to meet me.

"Hello, Bella!" she said, looking a bit harangued. "We're swamped right now and I don't think I'll have the time to train you today. I'm so sorry. Could you come back tomorrow?"

My heart dropped. "Of course."

"Thank you!" she said. "Hold on, I have something for you." She went behind the register and pulled out a clipped bunch of paper. "Fill these out and have your dad sign the last one. We can get started right away tomorrow."

I tried to smile. "Sounds great, Mrs. Newton. I'll see you tomorrow."

Another customer caught her attention so she smiled apologetically and hurried off.

I went back to the car and tried not to feel too disappointed. It was only one day; it wouldn't make that big of a difference.

I did my schoolwork in the living room when I got home. I still had trouble being around Charlie when he came back to the house. If he noticed anything, he didn't say so. We had pizza again for dinner and afterwards I excused myself and went upstairs.

**Review please!**


	6. Chapter Six

**Three more chapters until a new one! And another song to check out; **_**Babel **_**by Mumford & Sons :)**

**Thanks to my beta **_**dumbrat!**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

By the time I went downstairs for breakfast the next morning, Charlie had already left for work. I poured myself some cereal and sat down at the table. I ate my breakfast quickly, keeping an eye on the clock.

Today was the day of Tyler's car accident, and I wasn't planning on letting it happen. I couldn't, with a clear conscience, just let Tyler crash his car when I could do something to stop it.

I left the house ten minutes early, locking the door behind me. The snow from the day before had melted away and there were patches of ice scattered around.

When I got into the car I turned the heat up full blast. I pulled out carefully onto the street; slightly nervous about driving with the road so icy seeing as I had never done it before. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and I wondered if I should credit it towards me being really careful or if Charlie had put on chains for me.

When I got to the school, the parking lot was relatively empty. I parked four spots away from the entrance to the lot; far enough away to feel safe but close enough to give myself enough time to get to Tyler.

I stayed in the car for a minute, enjoying the last bit of warmth. I took a deep breath and steeled my nerves. There was no reason for anything to go wrong as long as I was ready and my timing was right.

As more students came into the school, I got out of the car and moved to stand by the back of the truck. I saw the chains on the tires and smiled.

I leaned up against the bed off the truck and waited. As I stood there, I spotted a huge patch of ice right between where I had parked and the driveway into the lot. All I had to do was get Tyler to slow down or stop before he got to it.

I tried not to stare when the Cullens pulled in and found a spot on the other side of the parking lot. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper all went immediately into the school, but Alice stayed, standing right next to Edward.

I snuck a glance over and saw Edward staring at me, his face totally expressionless. I couldn't help but smile when I saw him, raising my hand in greeting. He nodded back, and, when I turned around, I could practically feel his eyes boring a hole in the back of my head.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw a blue van coming down the street, and I recognized Tyler at the wheel. I could already tell he was going way too fast.

I straightened up from where I had been leaning up against the car and started walking forward.

"Hey, Isabella!"

Mike's sudden shout made me jump. Startled, I tried to turn around and lost my footing, slipping on the same patch of ice I had been trying to tell Tyler to avoid.

As I fell backward towards the ground, the painfully loud squealing of Tyler's van skidding into the parking lot filled my ears.

A scream caught in my throat, and I tried to throw out my hands to catch my fall. I landed hard on my back and my head cracked against the ground. All the air whooshed out of my lungs.

I didn't even have a chance to catch my breath before I heard loud screeching as Tyler slammed on his brakes. I couldn't even tell if he had seen me lying in the middle of the road.

Taking gasping breaths, I sat up, slipping and sliding on the ice.

I glanced up and saw Tyler's van was starting to fishtail, but I was still in its path. I wasn't going to get out of the way in time.

I tried to stand up and scuttle out of the way at the same time, bracing myself for impact. All of a sudden, I felt a sharp tug on the back of my jacket. I skidded backwards just as Tyler smashed into the back fender of a white compact.

In the time it took me to realize I hadn't been smushed, I noticed that I a pair of strong, cold arms was holding me up. When I looked around, I was instantly struck by Edward's frantic, golden eyes.

"Are you alright?"

I stared at him wordlessly, my heart beating erratically in my chest.

"Bella, answer me," he pleaded.

"Thank you, Edwards," I whispered gratefully.

Sound erupted around us as people ran over, shouting and yelling. Mike shoved his way through first.

"Isabella! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Edward glared so fiercely at Mike that he physically took a few steps back. "Back off, Newton. You've done enough."

I tried to extricate myself from Edward's arms but he shifted me instead so that I was half facing him.

"Don't move." I shuddered, and not from the cold. He moved his arm to create a gentle support against the small of my back.

"I think you hit your head pretty hard." His gentle voice held none of the venom he used when talking to Mike.

Mike seemed to have gathered his nerves. "Where did you come from, Cullen?" he said rudely.

Edward ignored him and gently lifted my chin so that I was looking at him.

"Bella. Are you hurt?" His liquid gold eyes peered worriedly into mine, looking for I don't know what.

I opted to shake my head again, wincing when the back of my head gave another painful throb.

"What's wrong with her?" Mike asked worriedly. "Why won't she say anything?"

I cleared my throat. "It's okay Mike, I'm fine." My voice cracked at the end so I cleared my throat again.

At this point, we were totally surrounded by teachers and students. Most of them were marveling at how fast I got out of the way.

I saw several teachers checking on Tyler in his van, and somebody was yelling at someone else to call 911.

I noticed that I was practically sitting on Edward's lap and I turned beet red. I tried to wiggle free but he wouldn't budge.

"You shouldn't move," he said. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"I know. Let me up please," I grumbled.

For a few seconds he didn't move, but then he sighed and let me go.

I got to my feet too quickly, making my head spin. Edward caught my arm and steadied me.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, looking at him.

He was laughing at me! "I told you not to move."

"What happened?" Coach Clapp was weaving his way through the students. "Who's hurt?"

"Neither of us. But I think Tyler needs help," I said quickly.

"Bella hit her head," Edward interjected.

"I'm okay," I said, ignoring him.

"One of you, explain." Coach Clapp looked at each of us in turn. "Miss Swan, why don't you sit down? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine. I was trying to—"

"She fell. Right in front of Tyler's car," Mike said, cutting me off. "He was going too fast. He hit the ice all wrong." His eyes flicked back to the black patch in front of the car.

"You fell?" Coach Clapp asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It was an accident," My face turned bright red and I avoided looking at Mike. "I slipped on the ice."

"Then what?"

"Cullen pulled her back," Mike said sullenly.

"Mr. Cullen?"

He nodded in agreement, glaring at Mike steadily. "Luckily I was close enough to reach her in time."

I couldn't stop my heart from jumping into my throat at Edward's words. Then I remembered exactly where he was when I fell—across the lot.

My eyes flickered back and forth between my truck and Edward's car, judging the distance. _Had no one really seen him run over to me? _

Alice was still standing frozen by the Volvo. She was looking off at nothing, but I knew she had to be seeing a lot more.

I looked back to Edward. His face hardened and I knew he saw where I had been looking. I kept my mouth shut though. I didn't need an explanation and I didn't want to upset him. It was better for everyone if he thought I really believed he had been next to me.

The ambulance pulled up then, sirens wailing.

In two seconds flat the teachers had cleared the students back to allow a paramedic get through and Mike was shoved away. Jessica grabbed him and started peppering him with questions.

Behind them, I saw two other paramedics unload a stretcher from the back of the ambulance and head over to Tyler. Coach Clapp left to go meet them.

"Which one of you is injured?" A dark haired paramedic in his mid-thirties was looking between Edward and me.

_Nope, no way. _I knew exactly where this was headed. I had to go to the Newtons' after school; there's no way I was going to spend the day in a hospital and have this made into a bigger deal than it was. Charlie would never let me go anywhere if he thought I had been hurt enough to need x-rays.

"Neither of us. It's Tyler in the van that needs help," I said, pointing.

"Bella!"

This voice was louder, more frantic than the others, and it wasn't long before I saw Charlie making his way through the crowd of students to get to me. He was intercepted by Coach Clapp, but I could tell Charlie was about ready to brush right by him. He kept looking worriedly over at me.

"Neither of you is hurt?" The paramedic said, pulling my attention away.

I gave a vehement no at the same time that Edward said yes. The paramedic looked bewilderingly between us.

"Well? Which is it?" he asked.

I could see all the students still in the parking lot staring at me and talking to one another.

"I'm fine—"

"She hit her head. Pretty hard I think." Edward cut me off and addressed the paramedic. "She should see a doctor."

The paramedic looked at me intently. "Head injuries need to be taken seriously. You should have told me when I asked."

"I'm fine, really," I said, ignoring the faint throbbing in the back of my head. I could've killed for some Advil. "I barely bumped it. I don't need to go to the hospital."

The paramedic reached his hand out. "May I?"

I sighed in resignation and nodded carefully. He gently poked and felt around the back of my head until his fingers landed on the large lump that was beginning to form. I couldn't help but wince when he found it.

"You were saying?" Edward was smirking smugly, and I wanted to hit him.

"I'm going to go get the stretcher," the paramedic said. "Please don't move. You could have a concussion."

I blanched. I was pretty sure I didn't. While my head did hurt, I hadn't hit it that hard and I had no nausea and no dizziness. I thought about just brushing past everyone and walking onto campus. I looked over to where my backpack sat in the truck but the car was totally swarmed by students.

"You really should just wait for him to come back." Edward said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up to see him smiling at me, and realized that, with the paramedic gone, we were relatively alone.

His clothes were all disheveled and he had a massive wet patch on his clothes from where he had held me up.

The irritation I felt softened and my voice caught in my throat. "Thank you. I would have been road kill if it wasn't for you."

"It was nothing. It was only lucky that I was standing nearby."

I studied the long distance between his car and mine again. "Right. Luck."

When I looked back at him again, he was studying my face carefully.

I couldn't help but flush bright red. "I...uh…I'm going to go talk to Charlie."

Still blushing wildly, I turned and walked away, leaving him behind. Charlie finally managed to extricate himself from Coach Clapp and met me halfway.

"Bella!" Charlie pulled me into a gruff hug, and then checked himself

"Are you okay?" he asked, patting my shoulder carefully.

"I'm fine," I said. I looked over my shoulder, noticing that Edward hadn't followed me. He was in deep discussion with the paramedic who had returned with a stretcher and wasn't looking too happy.

"What happened, Bella?" Charlie asked.

"There was an accident, but I'm fine."

"You're sure?" Charlie said worriedly. "Why were you talking to Brett?"

"Who?"

"The paramedic. Why were you talking to a paramedic if you're not hurt?" I knew he had seen me but I had hoped he hadn't noticed.

"I was near the car that crashed, but I'm fine. Edward Cullen pulled me out of the way."

"Thank goodness." Some of the worry lines melted off of his face and I let out a sigh of relief. "Do you want me to take you home?"

I looked around and noticed that almost all the teachers and half the students in the school were still milling around and I hesitated. I thought about walking back to campus from the house in a couple hours when things settled down. Then I could still get to the Newtons'. "Yes, please."

"I'll go get the car. Don't move, okay?" I nodded and he hugged me again before heading off.

As I waited, I watched Tyler get carefully put onto a stretcher of his own.

I felt a huge wave of guilt as I saw him get loaded into the ambulance by the paramedics. I could've stopped him from getting hurt and I screwed it up.

I looked over and saw Edward deep in conversation with Alice. He kept gesturing from my car, to me, and to the street.

Alice looked past him and studied me curiously. I looked away quickly and saw Tyler lying all alone in the ambulance as the paramedics finished loading up their gear. My heart gave a painful wrench. _My fault._

"Wait!" I called, jogging over to the paramedics. "I'm coming too."

"Good." I looked over my shoulder and saw the same dark haired paramedic, Brett apparently, reaching out to help me in.

"I need to tell Charlie first," I said, looking around for him.

"I'll tell him for you," he said. "He'll meet you there." He was holding my elbow now, and I allowed myself to be guided inside.

I sat down on the bench across to Tyler and heard the doors slam behind me.

Tyler didn't look at me when I sat down. He had cuts all over his arms and face and a brilliant purple bruise on his forehead.

I reached out and touched his hand. "I'm so sorry, Tyler. How do you feel?"

He seemed to notice me for the first time. "Isabella Swan? Did I hit you?"

"No, no I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Just a little out of it I think," he said, sitting up slowly. "What about you?"

"I'm fine. I'm so sorry, Tyler," I said again.

"It wasn't your fault," he groaned and shifted gingerly in his seat, "I almost hit you."

As we pulled away from the school, I could see Edward staring at me through the back window of the ambulance. I stared back and didn't look away until he was gone from sight.

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	7. Chapter Seven

**Hey, sorry I forgot to update yesterday! You get another long chapter instead :) This is one of my favorites so far, let me know what you think! Plus check out **_**You Don't Know Me **_**by Ben Folds and Regina Spektor :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

Charlie was already in the parking lot of the hospital when we pulled up. It wasn't hard to imagine what kind of laws he had broken to be there waiting for me.

"What are you doing, Bells?" Charlie asked worriedly, helping me out of the ambulance, "I thought you said you were okay?"

A couple of nurses wheeled Tyler away and I was glad all over again that I had refused a stretcher.

"I am. I'm fine. They just want to check me out just in case. But I'm fine, I swear."

He sighed loudly before nodding reluctantly. "Okay. But I'm coming with you for whatever they're checking you for."

I familiar voice from behind us cut me off before I could try to dissuade him.

"I'm sorry, Chief."

For the first time I was actually glad to see the familiar dark-haired paramedic. "They want to get her into the ER and you're going to have to wait for her out front."

I gave Charlie a reassuring smile and a nurse led me away.

As an afterthought I turned back, "Do me a favor and don't call Renée. She'll just worry and I'm fine. Promise me you won't call her?"

Charlie frowned and I could tell that's exactly what he had been about to do.

"Please?"

"Fine," he grumbled. "I won't call her. But you should when we get home."

I nodded, deciding to save that argument for later.

Inside, a nurse told me to lie down in a bed, and wait for another nurse to come and get me. I complied, but as soon as she walked away I sat up and looked around for Tyler. I couldn't find him but I figured he was getting x-rays.

I shucked off my jacket and threw it on the end of the bed.

A little while later, they brought Tyler back and put him in the bed next to mine. As soon as the nurses left, I got up and sat down by his feet.

"How're you feeling?" I asked.

"A little banged up, but mostly okay." He smiled at me and I noticed he had a split lip.

"I'm so sorry Tyler, I didn't mean for—"

He sat up in his bed, cutting me off. "Isabella, stop. If anything I should be apologizing to you. I almost killed you."

"But I—"

"No, really." He said guiltily. "How did you get out of the way so fast anyway? I thought I was going to hit you for sure."

"Edward pulled me out of the way."

Tyler looked at me quizzically. "Who?"

"Cullen," I added. "He pulled me back."

"Cullen? I didn't see him. It was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"

"Oh he's fine," I said. "He's back at the school."

I was glad about that. I was determined not to say anything to Edward about the accident. I may have wanted to keep a space between us, but also I didn't to fight with him.

Just then a nurse came and told me it was my turn. I once again refused a stretcher, and ended up being begrudgingly persuaded into a wheelchair instead. I got scolded by the nurses for not sitting still while I was being X-rayed. I was impatient to go back to Tyler and apologize properly.

Tyler was staring off into space when I got back and settled down cross-legged on my own bed. He looked over when I sat down.

"Isabella! How did it go? I'm so sorry you…"

I tried to cut him off but he plowed through anyway. He had apparently done some thinking while I was gone and now seemed guiltier than ever. He kept up a steady stream of apologies and that made me feel worse and worse.

"Tyler, please. It was my—"

It was no use. He just cut me off again. I groaned in frustration fought the urge to burry my face into my hands.

I laid down in the bed and closed my eyes, my guilt washing over me. I curled up on my side and tried to take steady even breaths. Like I hoped, Tyler's apologies turned to quiet mutterings under his breath.

"So, Miss Swan, how are you feeling?" My eyes snapped open and I sat up sharply. The newcomer's voice wasn't familiar to me, but the smooth and musical way he spoke was.

I found myself looking into one of the most strikingly handsome faces I had ever seen. He had impeccably sculpted blonde hair, pale skin, and bright gold eyes. He was smiling gently, completely at ease, with straight and even white teeth. He looked younger than I had expected, but I knew who it was.

"Carlisle," I said, surprising even myself. His smile faltered the tiniest of fractions.

"I'm sorry. Have we met?" His smile was very friendly, but I knew, that with his perfect vampire memory, he was certain we never had.

"I'm so sorry, Dr. Cullen," I managed to squeak out. "Charlie mentioned you to me. He thinks very highly of you."

"Ah," he said, smiling widely again. "In that case, it is very good to meet you Miss Swan."

"Likewise," I said. I had thought about meeting Carlisle ever since I had first read _Twilight_, but, now that I was face to face with him, I had no idea what to say.

"Well," Carlisle said, picking up a clipboard at the foot of the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I feel totally fine." I said quickly.

Carlisle clipped my x-ray up to the lightboard between my and Tyler's beds. "You're X-rays look good. Does your head hurt? I hear you hit it pretty hard."

"It's fine. Barely hurts."

He stepped closer and I braced myself as he gently felt the back of my head.

I managed not to flinch when he carefully felt the bump on my head. His cold hand actually eased my growing headache and I relaxed a little.

"Tender?" Carlisle asked.

"Not really." I answered. My headache throbbed painfully when he took his hand away.

"Well," Carlisle said, "you're going to be fine. Your father is in the waiting room—you can go home with him now. But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."

I nodded. "I will. I guess I'll go find him," I said. "Thanks for everything Dr. Cullen."

"You're welcome, Miss Swan," he answered.

I jumped off the bed, fighting a head rush. Carlisle held my elbow steadying me. I murmured my thanks and I grabbed my jacket off the end of the bed.

"It's just out that door and down the hall," he said, releasing my arm and pointing to the far side of the room.

I nodded. "Thanks," I said. "Will you thank Edward again when you see him? I really am very grateful."

"Of course. I look forward to seeing you again, Miss Swan."

"Likewise. See you at school, Tyler," I said, "Feel better."

"I'm so sorry—"

I just smiled and waved goodbye. "Thanks again, Dr. Cullen."

I weaved my way past the other beds and the bustling nurses and doctors and out the door Carlisle had directed me to. Despite the bustle of people back in the ER, the hallway was empty.

I looked right and left trying to decide if I wanted to go back and ask which way to go. I shrugged and went left, deciding to take my chances.

A door opened in front of me and none other than Edward walked out, looking serious. I stopped mid-step.

"What are you doing here?"

He looked up in surprise. He froze, hands clenching at his sides. He hadn't noticed me.

"I often visit my father at work," he said with a smile. "How's your head?"

"It's fine," I said for what felt like the umpteenth time. "You visit your dad in the morning on a school day?"

He grinned. "Your little accident caused quite the commotion back at the school. Most of the students have decided against returning to their classes and many of the teachers aren't bothering to teach the few students who stayed. I found that my time might be better suited spent here."

"You ditched school?"

He laughed. "Is that so surprising?"

"You don't seem the type to miss school unless they had to," I said shrugging.

"Do I?" he asked, surprised.

I nodded, trying to ignore the way he was now staring at me. "I'm trying to find Charlie. Do you know the way to the waiting room?"

"It's back the way you came," he said. "Just around the corner there."

"Of course it is," I muttered under my breath.

He surprised me by walking over. "Come on. I'll walk with you."

"Thanks."

Edward didn't say anything as we walked. I peeped at him out of the corner of my eye. He wasn't smiling anymore, his mouth a hard line. I wondered why he wanted to walk with me if he wasn't going to say anything.

"Thanks again, Edward," I said, breaking our silence.

"It was nothing," he tersely. "It was only lucky I was nearby."

I tried not to let his harsh tone bother me.

"It should have been a lot worse," I said quietly, giving up on the conversation. I was certain I would have been crushed earlier if it wasn't for him. I was eager to find Charlie and leave. I spotted him with relief as we turned to corner to the waiting room.

I walked a few more steps before I realized Edward had stopped. Curious, I walked back to him.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean by that?" His voice was skeptical when he spoke again.

"What do I mean by what?" I asked, confused.

"What did you mean _should _have been worse?"

"I only meant…it's nothing. I only meant it could have been worse," my voice felt pinched. "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't been there."

He raised his eyebrows.

I flushed bright red and started to back away. "Umm…I have to go find Charlie. I'll...uhh…see you in school tomorrow. Thanks again."

I turned heel and tried to walk away quickly.

"What were you waiting for?" Startled, I turned around; Edward staring after me, looking thoughtful. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the veins on his neck.

"What?" Confused, I walked back again. "What are you talking about?"

"In the parking lot at school, before the accident, you were waiting for something at your car. What was it?"

I opened and closed my mouth a couple times, but I didn't say anything. I couldn't believe he had noticed that. He wasn't even asking if I had been waiting for something; he_ knew. _He was _telling _me.

I couldn't bring myself to look away from him. I was caught all of a sudden by the strange, but captivating, gold of his eyes.

"Nothing," I forced myself to smile, trying to make myself look assured and convincing. "I was just waiting for school to start..."

Edward walked forward, quirking his eyebrows still higher than before. "You know, I don't believe you at all."

He looked down at me, keeping his eyes even with mine. "Please tell me." His voice turned softer. My voice caught in my throat. "What were you waiting for, Bella?"

The name, so wrong, said so familiarly, brought me back to my senses. I shook my head, breaking my eyes away from his.

"I wasn't waiting for anything," I said stubbornly, still looking away.

I could hear the frustration in his voice, "I saved your life. You at least owe me the truth."

I lifted my face back up to his, indignant. "I owe _you _the truth!? I haven't asked you to explain _yourself_ for what you did in the parking lot today_. _You could at least give me the same courtesy."

He froze, and I blanched when I realized what I had said.

"Forget that. I didn't mean—"

"What exactly should I be explaining?" he said, his tone deadly even. He leaned against the wall on his shoulder in front of me, unobtrusively blocking me from leaving.

"Nothing," I said, gritting my teeth. "Forget it."

"I would, but it almost sounds as though you are accusing me of something."

"I wasn't. Forget I said anything."

"Bella, you hit your head your head pretty hard, are you confused about something?"

I snapped. "You know my head is fine. And we both know you weren't next to me when Tyler came through."

Neither of us moved, staring each other down.

"What exactly are you saying, Bella?"

"You weren't standing next to me when I fell," I said angrily, abandoning all reason in my frustration. "You were next to Alice and you ran over to me and you pulled me back _after _I fell."

"Alice? You think I could run over and pull you back all in about five seconds?" Edward asked sarcastically.

"I think you could do it in less," I said, staring him straight in the eye.

When he spoke again his voice was mocking, "Nobody will believe that, you know." I bristled at his words.

"Of course I know that!" My voice came out harsher then I meant it to. "But it doesn't matter because I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm not an idiot, Edward."

Surprise flitted across his face but it was gone in an instant.

I sighed. "Look, Edward. I won't say anything and I'm not asking for an explanation so can we just drop it." I grimaced at how backwards the situation was.

He nodded— his face all serious and unconcerned. "Maybe you should go home and get some rest. Get yourself sorted out. I think your head might be worse than you think."

I felt a heavy weight on my chest. His words reminded me of Rosalie. And Jasper. The blood drained from my face.

"I'm not going to say anything to _anyone_," I said fervently, looking him strait in the eye. "Please remember I said that."

He stood up away from the wall, eyes wide, and I took it as his agreement I nodded and walked around him. "Thank you, Edward."

Charlie spotted me right as I walked into the waiting room and immediately walked over.

"Bella!" he said, his relief plain to see, "They came out and told me! I'm so glad you're okay. Are you ready to go home?"

"Actually, can you take me back to the school?" I asked, heading for the door. "I have something to do afterwards and I'll need the car."

"No way, Bells" he said, crossing his arms, "You were in the hospital. We're going home. Whatever you needed to do you can do tomorrow."

He looked resolved, and I was pretty sure he wouldn't change his mind. "Charlie…"

"Please," he said. "Indulge your old man. Just take the rest of the day off to rest."

I reluctantly agreed and we left the hospital.

As we drove away from the hospital, I thought about Jasper and Rosalie again. I was wound up tighter than a spring. Distracting myself, I noticed that Charlie was shifting around uncomfortably behind the wheel.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Listen, Bella…I know you asked me not to, but—"

My eyes snapped over to him but he was determinately not looking at me. "You didn't…"

"I feel like I had to." His ears were turning pink. "She's your mother and she deserves—"

I groaned loudly and closed my eyes, tilting my head against the head rest.

"You promised." Calling Renée about the accident was really was the last thing I wanted to do.

"I know and I'm sorry. But, just call her when we get to the house…please?" Now he glanced over at me, silently pleading.

"Okay," I sighed. "I'll call her."

"Thank you."

After pulling up to the curb in front of the house, Charlie turned off the engine and started to get out of the car. I held on to his arm to stop him.

"I'm fine, Charlie," I told him. "You don't have to stay with me. Go back to work."

He shook his head. "Please," I said. "I'm just going to do school stuff. I'll call you if something's wrong."

He didn't look like he wanted to agree to my request.

"Please?" I asked again.

He nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but I'll be home in a couple hours. I'll grab us a pizza on my way home or something."

"How about I cook for us instead?" I said, remembering. "I bought some things at the store over the weekend. I don't mind."

"Sure," he said with a small smile, not bothering to hide his surprise. "Sounds good."

"Good," I said, climbing out of the car. "I'll see you later then."

Charlie waited until I unlocked the door and opened it before he pulled away. I waved as he drove off, closing and locking the door behind me.

I made my way to the kitchen, dropping my bag by the door with a _thunk _as I went. The noise was startlingly loud in the quiet house.

Just then, the phone rang. I picked it up thinking it was Charlie.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella. This is Nancy Newton," a brisk woman's voice said. "I heard about what happened at the school. How are you?"

"I'm okay, I wasn't hurt," I told her, worried that I knew the reason behind her call.

"I'm glad to hear it, but I couldn't possibly ask you to come in today after what you went through. We can try again tomorrow."

"Really, Mrs. Newton. That's not necessary," I pleaded. "I can still—"

"I insist," she said. "See you tomorrow!" She hung up.

I slammed the receiver down and groaned out loud in frustration. At this rate, I'd never be able to start saving anything at all.

I ended up reading the rest of the afternoon. I finally finished _For Whom the Bell Tolls _and started in on _Wuthering Heights_. I'd read it before but I definitely needed a refresher.

At around five, I pulled a couple chicken breast out of the fridge and put them in baggies; tossing them into the sink with hot water to defrost.

I took my time cutting up lettuce for a salad and washing and wrapping a few potatoes in foil before I resigned myself to the inevitable.

I found the crumpled slip of paper with Renée's number on it tacked up on a cork board by the front door.

Taking a deep breath, I punched in the numbers and sat down at the kitchen table, listening to the ring tone.

"Hello?"

"M—mo…?" I was could hardly understand myself and I wasn't all that surprised that she didn't answer. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Mom, you there?"

All of a sudden a voice rushed out on the other end. "Bella! Bella, honey is that you? Oh my God, what happened? Charlie said you were in an accident! I knew sending you to Forks was a bad idea. I should have never had let you gone! You could have died—"

"I'm fine. Nothing happened; you and Charlie are both overreacting."

"Nothing happened? Charlie said it was a car accident!" I could almost hear tears in her voice now. "We'll get you on the first plane back to Phoenix. I knew this was a bad idea—"

"Really," I said. "I'm fine. And there's no one at the house for me to go to. I'm better off just staying here."

"Are you sure? I can start heading home tonight." she said, hopefully. "I can meet you there tomorrow!"

"I'm okay," I said, softening. I may not know or care about this woman in a personal way, but she definitely felt that way about me. I liked it more than I had a right to.

After a few more minutes of careful reassurance, Renée agreed that it didn't make sense for me to go to Phoenix.

"Just be careful, Bella," she said. "I love you so much."

My heart jumped into my throat. "I…you too."

"Bye, honey."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone and picked up the kitchen timer off the counter. I headed into the living room and sat down in the love seat, pulling the blue quilt hanging off the back with me.

I turned on the TV and found a football game. I watched it for a while, but I couldn't focus on it. Every little noise I heard made me jump, each one sounding like Rosalie or Jasper sneaking into the house.

After the second car backfired in front of the house, making me jump so badly I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, I gave up on sitting still and went into the kitchen to finish dinner.

"Bella, I'm home!"

I started, spilling half of the salad I was tossing on the floor. I didn't hear Charlie come in.

"In the kitchen!" I shouted, stooping down to pick up the mess.

"Smells good, Bells," he said as he came in. He saw me scooping part of our dinner off the floor and bent down to help.

"Thanks," I said. "I'm almost done. Why don't you go catch the end of the game and I'll bring dinner over when it's ready."

He threw handfuls of lettuce into the trash. "Sounds great," he said. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and went and sat down.

He offered to do the dishes again after we ate so, after putting my dish in the sink, I went upstairs and grabbed the forms Mrs. Newton had given me. I had already looked them over, and not only was I going to need Charlie's signature, but I needed his help with almost all of the personal information too.

I sat down at the kitchen table. "Hey, Charlie? Could you help me with something?"

"Sure, what is it?" he asked, stepping away from the sink and drying his hands on a towel.

"I got a job at the Newton's camping store last week. Will you help me fill some of this stuff out?"

Charlie dropped the towel onto the table in surprise, but thankfully he didn't seem upset.

"You got a job?"

"Yeah, with the Newtons," I said. "It's super part time. It won't interfere with my school work or anything."

"Uh, okay…sure," he said, somewhat confusedly. "What do you need me to do?"

I sighed in relief and showed him where he needed to sign. He seemed surprised I needed help putting in the address and other personal information, but he helped anyway and didn't comment on it.

I smiled gratefully when we were done. "Thanks."

"No problem, Bells," he said, going back to the dishes. "When do you start?"

"Tomorrow hopefully," I said clipping the papers back together. "I'm going to go upstairs and caught up some more on school if that's okay."

"Sure thing, 'night."

When I got into the bedroom, I changed and settled myself in for a long night. I put the rocking chair up against the closed door and balanced a stack of book on the top of the window frame. I knew they were useless as barricades, but hopefully they would fall over and wake me up if I dozed off and someone tried to come in.

Pulling out enough schoolwork to last me through the night, I sat on the bed with the quilt pulled up to my chin. Then I waited. Hours passed but I didn't move from my vigil, glancing up from my work every once in a while to glance over at the window.

If someone was coming for me, there was no way I was going to lie in bed asleep and make it easy on them.

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	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight**_

A dim light signaled morning and still no one came. At around half past six, I heard Charlie's alarm go off before it was quickly stifled. I listened carefully as his door open and shut quietly. I heard his muffled steps go down the stairs and then the house was totally quiet again.

I stumbled out of bed and went to take a shower, unable to sit any longer. By the time I came out and got dressed, I could smell the coffee from downstairs.

I went down and found Charlie at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. I poured myself some coffee and we sat together in silence until it was time to leave for school and work.

I asked him to drop me by the truck and he obliged, gruffly telling me to have a good day before he drove off. I watched him go—he was such a good man and I hated lying to him.

It was still a little early—mine was the only car at the school— so I got into the truck and turned on the heater. I was so exhausted it was almost painful to stay awake. I shut my eyes for a moment and someone tapped on my window.

My hand automatically jumped to door lock before I looked up and saw it was only Jessica by my window. I looked past her and saw an almost full parking lot. I must've fallen asleep. I grabbed my keys and my backpack and got out of the car, rubbing my eyes and yawning.

"You look terrible," Jessica said as I locked the truck.

"Thanks."

Already on edge, my jumpy mood was made worse as soon as I set foot on campus. My classmates started bombarding me with questions almost immediately. Reluctantly, I answered question after question about the accident.

_No, I'm not hurt…Yes, Tyler's okay….No ,I just slipped…Edward….Cullen…He was right there and he pulled me back…No, we're not…just…no._

I answered the same questions the same way over and over until people eventually stopped asking me.

Jessica was the worst of all, and her probing questions were more difficult to avoid.

"So are you and Edward together now?"

We were walking together into the cafeteria after Spanish. I rolled my eyes as she turned to wave at someone, having just answered a similar question for her a few minutes before.

"No, Jessica," I said exasperatedly. "I hardly even know him."

I grabbed a salad out of the food line, handing my money over to the woman at the register. "Thanks."

Jessica huffed impatiently and grabbed my arm to drag me away, almost making me drop my food. "Geez, Jess."

We sat down at the table and she leaned forward in her chair across from me, her eyes flicking over to the Cullens.

"There has to be something," she said, excitedly. "You sit next to him every day!"

"I've only had class with him twice." I muttered back, looking anywhere but the table in the corner. My whole face felt like it was on fire. I knew Edward could hear this whole conversation. "It hardly counts."

She opened her mouth, but I cut her off, seeing her other friends coming to the table, including Angela and Mike.

"Can we please drop it?" I whispered urgently.

She nodded, but narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.

Lunch was thankfully devoid of any and all conversation about the accident. I managed to pass the hour not staring over at the Cullens, even though I really wanted to.

Mike walked with me to Biology, unusually quiet.

I followed him into the room, and still he didn't say anything. It wasn't until he got to his desk that he stopped and turned to face me. He didn't sit down like I expected, effectively preventing me from getting to my own seat.

"Is something wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

"It's about yesterday," he started, not meeting my eyes.

"What about it?" I answered cautiously.

"I just wanted to apologize," he blurted out. "I didn't mean to make you fall like that."

"What? Oh, don't worry about it." I said, trying step around him. "It wasn't your fault."

He blocked my path again, moving with me. "I'm glad you said so, but there's something else."

His eyes flickered to Edward, who stiffened, and Mike stepped forward, grabbing my arm and leaning forward to whisper in my ear.

"It's about Cullen."

My heart skipped a beat, and I shrugged out of his hold, taking a step back.

"What about him, Mike," I asked slowly.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I swear I didn't see him there until after Tyler crashed."

Over Mike's shoulder, Edward's eyes briefly met mine, his expression hard and unreadable.

"What are you saying?" I said carefully, looking away from Edward.

"I don't…I…I don't know, but something doesn't seem right." he ground out haltingly through his teeth.

I spoke carefully; slowly and deliberately. "I don't know about that, Mike. But I can promise that Edward was right there when I fell. You just must not have seen him."

"You're sure," he asked, still whispering pointlessly.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I said, whispering dramatically back. I smiled, trying to put him at ease. "It's nothing," I said in a normal voice, sidestepping around him. "Your eyes must have been playing a trick on you."

"You're right," he said, shaking his head and smiling. "I do sound crazy, don't I? Don't tell anyone what I said, will you?"

"Of course not," I said as I walked away. Once my back was turned, my strained smile slid into a frown. Not good. But I was pretty sure the crisis had been averted. I didn't think he would try to tell anyone else for fear of being made fun of.

I sat down silently and took out a fresh piece of paper and a pen.

I was hyper aware of Edward the whole class, but I never turned to look at him. He was ignoring me just as much as I ignored him. Even though neither of us looked at each other, I felt the tension rolling of his body. When I allowed myself a little glimpse at the end of class, I was startled to see he was already looking at me.

I smiled tentatively back but he just nodded and looked away. The second the bell rang, he was on his feet and out the door. By the time I got outside, I saw him walking away quickly, halfway to the parking lot.

Mike was there when I got outside too, waiting to walk with me to Gym, his normal happy and chatty self.

I had a particularly good time playing volleyball during class. I took out all of my anger and frustrations out on the ball, using all of my strength to spike and serve.

When the final bell rang, I quickly changed and started walking in the direction of the house. I was digging around in my backpack trying to find my car keys when I ran smack into someone.

Surprised, I looked up and saw it was Angela.

"Isabella, right?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I answered apologetically. "Sorry about that."

She smiled hitching her backpack more securely on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," she answered, shrugging it off. "So how are you? After yesterday I mean."

"Good," I said. "I'm totally fine."

"You're probably sick of talking about it," she said. And I was, but with her it wasn't so bad

"Well," she said gently. "It good that no one was hurt too badly."

"Yeah, it is" I said. Over her shoulder, I saw the Cullens walking towards the Volvo. I made myself look back at Angela. "Thanks for asking."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I said, "What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you go by Bella instead of Isabella. It's just I noticed that that's what your dad called you yesterday."

"Oh," I said, unsure of how to respond. "Yeah, Bella's fine."

"Okay, then" she said with a smile. "See you tomorrow, Bella."

"Bye, Angela," I said, returning her smile. "See you tomorrow."

She walked away and I looked over at the Cullens again. Rosalie was staring daggers at me. Her glower was so poisonous that I stumbled back a few steps. I turned heel and tried not to run to my car.

I couldn't sleep for days after that. Each time I closed my eyes I saw Rosalie snarling murderously at me. My nights were become hell, and the days were just as bad as a result.

Mrs. Newton took one look at me when I showed up after school that day, and tried to send me home. It took serious convincing to persuade her that I was fully recovered, but she let me stay. I finally got the training I needed and it didn't me long to pick it up. I went home that night, feeling even more tired, but the pride I felt made it worth it.

Every day I said hello to Edward. He never answered back with more than a nod. I tried every day to get him to talk to me, but I never could.

I also had another problem. The following Friday, at lunch, I was listening to Mike tell the longest, most boring story about a camping trip he had taken weeks before, trying to smile and make polite comments in the right spots, when I thought absently about how much I wanted my four weeks to be up so that I could leave Forks and not have to hear the end of his story.

I looked over at the Cullen table, an automatic behavior I found myself doing more and more frequently, just as the thought crossed my brain. Right then, Alice suddenly met my gaze, tilting her head slightly and looking perplexed.

I looked away, shocked. Had she seem me leave? I didn't want that! I figured people might notice if I left town, but no one could know why, and a large part of that relied on people not knowing where I was going.

I stopped thinking about home at all. Every once in a while though, I would catch myself thinking about what I might find. But, I caught myself each time and made myself focus on going to work and school. I near drove myself crazy trying to monitor myself every moment of every day, but every day the Cullens came back to school and I got more and more comfortable with my routine.

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